Post Race!

[dday9]

I should let my flood insurance go though, it never floods in South Louisiana.

[dclamp]

I should let my flood insurance go though, it never floods in South Louisiana.

Amen to that sister.

[dday9]

Volcanoes though... That's a serious threat. I mean, aren't we overdue for one?

[dclamp]

Do you sell meteor insurance too?

[dday9]

Only if you live south of Grand Isle.

[Shaggy Hiker]

Such a small amount of trouble in order to preserve binary purity. ☹

Not so small an amount of trouble. To do a good job with the cutting would have required a special saw, so there would be a fair expense. I did try a bit of cutting with cold chisel, and had mixed results. The lines weren't clean enough to work with.

You mean the error you built into your binary backyard is still there? °o°

There is no error. You simply ignore all red blocks and all is well. Binary doesn't carry any inherent meaning. We impose meaning on it when we turn a binary signal into 1s and 0s, then we impose further meaning on it when we interpret some set of binary digits to mean some kind of letter. Had I used some encoding other than ASCII, or some encoding other than 7 bits to a letter, you'd be sorely pressed to figure any of it out. Only by relying on a rigorous convention does the pattern hold any meaning. After all, since I needed less than 32 characters, I could have made my own 6 bit encoding to write the message, but then nobody would be able to figure it out without putting a lot of effort into it. It might not have contained enough information to be able to figure out every symbol, had I done it that way.

So, I have imposed a convention that makes it readable. There is nothing pure or impure about it. It is what it is, and that is complete. By saying that it is ASCII, and by saying that the red bits are fill, I give you the tools to interpret the binary into text. Had I not given that information, it could have been inferred with some difficulty. The rules are as much a part of the pattern as the bits themselves. However, it is all just binary, with no right or wrong other than that which we impose upon it.

[dclamp]

Shaggy and Witis would be interested in Binary insurance. To protects against intrusions from other numbers.

[Shaggy Hiker]

This post brought to you by the number 3.

[dclamp]

This post brought to you by the number 3.

Awkward

[dday9]

I know, I was hoping number 2 would step up. I guess not :/

[Shaggy Hiker]

Number 2 is stepping up. I just didn't think you'd want me to share that.

[dday9]

Whahaha! Took me a second to register that!

[Shaggy Hiker]

It ain't over until the paperwork is finished.

[Witis]

Not so small an amount of trouble. To do a good job with the cutting would have required a special saw, so there would be a fair expense. I did try a bit of cutting with cold chisel, and had mixed results. The lines weren't clean enough to work with.

It seems I'll always be more of a binary purist than you, but ok with it.

There is no error. You simply ignore all red blocks and all is well.

You can't tell me to simply ignore the error and all is well. According to that logic you could sell a house demolished by a sinkhole at full market price, just ignore the damage to the house and land.

Binary doesn't carry any inherent meaning. We impose meaning on it when we turn a binary signal into 1s and 0s, then we impose further meaning on it when we interpret some set of binary digits to mean some kind of letter. Had I used some encoding other than ASCII, or some encoding other than 7 bits to a letter, you'd be sorely pressed to figure any of it out. Only by relying on a rigorous convention does the pattern hold any meaning. After all, since I needed less than 32 characters, I could have made my own 6 bit encoding to write the message, but then nobody would be able to figure it out without putting a lot of effort into it. It might not have contained enough information to be able to figure out every symbol, had I done it that way.

I think the classic would have been an 8 bit binary pattern rather than 6 or 7.

So, I have imposed a convention that makes it readable. There is nothing pure or impure about it. It is what it is, and that is complete. By saying that it is ASCII, and by saying that the red bits are fill, I give you the tools to interpret the binary into text. Had I not given that information, it could have been inferred with some difficulty. The rules are as much a part of the pattern as the bits themselves. However, it is all just binary, with no right or wrong other than that which we impose upon it.

Although the obvious problem is that using 3 colours immediately makes me think of anything except a binary pattern.

[Witis]

Shaggy and Witis would be interested in Binary insurance. To protects against intrusions from other numbers.

I sure would.

[Witis]

[Witis]

Don't worry, all is well.

[dday9]

See, that's an issue that we're having right now. Homeowners insurance doesn't cover for earth movement, aka - sinkholes. We had a huge sinkhole in Raceland last year that damaged some homes. I'm glad I wasn't the guy who had to say that it wasn't covered.

[dday9]

By the way Witis, you have the water table to low in that first picture. It should be about a foot to two feet below the surface.

[Shaggy Hiker]

It seems I'll always be more of a binary purist than you, but ok with it.

No, only one form of binary purist, which makes you more of a binary bigot.

You can't tell me to simply ignore the error and all is well. According to that logic you could sell a house demolished by a sinkhole at full market price, just ignore the damage to the house and land.

There isn't any error. There is only a rule that is applied when translating the code into text. That translation is a human activity. The code itself is what it is, only we give it meaning. As long as the rules are consistent, we can retrieve from it whatever meaning was put into it. If the rules are not consistent, then anybody extracting meaning will not necessarily extract the same meaning as the person who created the code. That would be called art.

I think the classic would have been an 8 bit binary pattern rather than 6 or 7.

Only in certain systems and under certain designs. 8 bits does seem like a reasonable number, being a power of 2 and all, but it isn't the only pattern that has been used in computers. 7 and 9 bit byte systems also exist. I haven't head of a 6 bit byte system, but it could easily exist.

Although the obvious problem is that using 3 colours immediately makes me think of anything except a binary pattern.

Anything at all? I'd be morbidly curious as to what it made you think of?

[Shaggy Hiker]

By the way Witis, you have the water table to low in that first picture. It should be about a foot to two feet below the surface.

Where you live, maybe....actually, it would almost be the case where I live, too, except I think that it is perhaps 4-6 feet down. That's a bit unusual for a desert. I happen to live in an area where there are lots of natural springs. The fall is pretty natural, too, but the summer is hellish and the winter is highly unnatural.

[dclamp]

Anyone want to move to Las Vegas, Nevada with me? Comparing the housing prices from Orange County and Las Vegas... I could save enough money working in California to move to Nevada and buy a house I would never be able to afford in California.

3 Bedroom 2 bath house in Orange county: $400,000 range
4 Bedroom 4 Bath with a Pool in Nevada: $150,000 range.

Uhh Yes Please.

[dday9]

That's what the price for homes look like here. We have cheap Mexican labor. We have big refineries that give big paychecks. The housing market is great where I live.

[Shaggy Hiker]

You can go even cheaper up here. $150K would be a bit low for a 3 bed/2bath house in Boise, but you can still get such a place for around $100K, and possibly lower, in the suburbs (such as they are).

[dclamp]

You also have floods. I guess Nevada is subject to flash floods too... But Nevada doesn't have alligators.

Plus Nevada is a 3 hour drive from OC

[dclamp]

You can go even cheaper up here. $150K would be a bit low for a 3 bed/2bath house in Boise, but you can still get such a place for around $100K, and possibly lower, in the suburbs (such as they are).

California Sucks. Too expensive... terrible gun restrictions... that about sums it up.

[dday9]

I've watched some house hunter shows and I'm blown away with the COL in California.

[Shaggy Hiker]

California Sucks. Too expensive... terrible gun restrictions... that about sums it up.

There's a reason for those prices.

[Shaggy Hiker]

There's a reason for our prices, too.

[dclamp]

I've watched some house hunter shows and I'm blown away with the COL in California.

For a small house in Orange County, I would be paying $2000/month for 30 years. Ends up being Over $700,000 total for a $400,000 house. Not exactly sure how the numbers work.

I would honestly love to move out of state, but I am already anti-social enough. I would have such a hard time meeting people in Nevada. Well, until I start drinking that is.

[dclamp]

There's a reason for those prices.

Convenience fee? The ability to go surfing, snowboarding, and quading in the desert all in the same day?

[Witis]

No, only one form of binary purist, which makes you more of a binary bigot.

I prefer my binary strictly ones and zeros, my apologies for maintaining my two tone binary view.

There isn't any error. There is only a rule that is applied when translating the code into text. That translation is a human activity. The code itself is what it is, only we give it meaning. As long as the rules are consistent, we can retrieve from it whatever meaning was put into it.

Sure there is an error, the placement of the red bricks at the top left hand side of the picture you posted entirely destroys any ability to extract the binary encoded ascii characters effectively voiding the meaning of the message. :Þ

If the rules are not consistent, then anybody extracting meaning will not necessarily extract the same meaning as the person who created the code. That would be called art

Sadly I don't imagine it is possible to extract any meaning anymore. :L

Anything at all? I'd be morbidly curious as to what it made you think of?

I guess it vaguely resembles a game of Tetris to me.

[Shaggy Hiker]

Sure there is an error, the placement of the red bricks at the top left hand side of the picture you posted entirely destroys any ability to extract the binary encoded ascii characters effectively voiding the meaning of the message. :Þ

That's not true. The rules are simple:

1) Bytes are seven bits.
2) Ignore any red bricks.

That's all you need to know....well, that and the starting location, the direction to read, and whether gray is 1 or 0, but all three of those can be worked out from the information given. All of the red bricks are therefore without meaning, but they do serve a purpose which isn't essential to the rules. The fact that, for the most part, every eighth brick is red gives you a clue as to the direction of reading (N-S or E-W), though it doesn't give you any hint as to whether you start from the right or the left, top or the bottom. Those points can be worked out without undue difficulty. However, the rules are all that is truly needed, so the fact that the red bricks are occasionally used as fill makes no difference, because rule #2 states that you ignore them.

[Witis]

That's not true.

Sure it is.

The rules are simple:

1) Bytes are seven bits.
2) Ignore any red bricks.

Ignore the red bricks, aren't they are supposed to delimit each character?

the fact that the red bricks are occasionally used as fill makes no difference, because rule #2 states that you ignore them.

You can't use them as a delimiter and also use them as fill as doing so destroys any ability to extract any meaning from the pattern.

[henrytrs35]

For a small house in Orange County, I would be paying $2000/month for 30 years. Ends up being Over $700,000 total for a $400,000 house. Not exactly sure how the numbers work.

I would honestly love to move out of state, but I am already anti-social enough. I would have such a hard time meeting people in Nevada. Well, until I start drinking that is.

We have the same problem :3 It's why I don't like moving but sometimes there's no choice.

[Witis]

By the way Witis, you have the water table to low in that first picture. It should be about a foot to two feet below the surface.

Oups.

[Shaggy Hiker]

You can't use them as a delimiter and also use them as fill as doing so destroys any ability to extract any meaning from the pattern.

Nope. You are focusing on the wrong thing. The pattern is entirely readable following those two rules and ONLY those two rules. That means I can use the red bricks for multiple purposes, and I have. Don't try to make up a third rule that involves the red bricks, because there isn't one and you don't need it anyways.

[Witis]

Nope. You are focusing on the wrong thing. The pattern is entirely readable following those two rules and ONLY those two rules. That means I can use the red bricks for multiple purposes, and I have. Don't try to make up a third rule that involves the red bricks, because there isn't one and you don't need it anyways.

Shaggy you already admitted that you have an error in your binary backyard in post #55823:

I also see that there are some extra red bricks in the upper left corner of that picture, which are now covered by a raised bed, but would throw off the pattern in the picture.

You binary vandal you.

[Witis]

Binary - it's as easy as tan, grey, and red.

[Shaggy Hiker]

Shaggy you already admitted that you have an error in your binary backyard in post #55823:

The error is not in the binary, the error is in the description I gave, but it doesn't matter. According to rule #2, you ignore all red bricks when reading the pattern. The only thing that the red bricks can do is give you some hint as to which direction to read and possibly where to start reading, though they don't really do that. They are only a hint, though, and there is no absolute rule regarding the red bricks. While it is true that every eigth brick is red, that doesn't mean that every red brick is an eigth brick.

It did get me thinking, though. If you were to read the patter E-W or W-E rather than N-S, it would have no meaning. You have to read the patter N-S, but had I written a palindrome, and if you were to swap the endian nature of the bytes, you could read the pattern S-N, as well. I didn't write a palindrome, as there are few with meaning of the size I needed (maybe none). However, would it be possible to have created a pattern such that it would have one meaning when read N-S, and another meaning when read E-W? I believe that would not be possible without a much more liberal use of red bricks, but if I were to add a third rule:

3) Red bricks should be ignored.

then I think it would have been technically possible to encode a message both N-S as well as E-W, though without the red brick hints, it is unlikely that anybody would ever have known that there was a pattern, let alone been able to read it. I also think that the character count in either direction would be radically reduced due to the need to use LOTS of red bricks in the pattern. Still, this would be an interesting excercise for a much larger area than the one I had. It would be a largely red pattern, but it would appear highly random.