Talk:1546: Tamagotchi Hive

2015-11-25T15:38:14Z

Codehead:

mShould we have a "My Hobby" category? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.135|141.101.98.135]] 14:14, 3 July 2015 (UTC)
:You mean like the [[:Category:My_Hobby|My Hobby]] category? Yes, that would be a good idea. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.216|108.162.254.216]] 14:39, 3 July 2015 (UTC)

This explanation should probably include a reference to the Matrix. --[[Special:Contributions/198.41.242.251|198.41.242.251]] 14:29, 3 July 2015 (UTC)p

: Most definitely. {{unsigned ip|108.162.254.106}}

: Which should also reference the Title Text's modern usage of the term "Singularity". The Matrix (for humans) would imply a relatively large step _beyond_ the Singularity, as surpassing the capabilities of one human mind does not necessarily impart the capacity to simulate full sensory information for thousands of them. I believe the joke there would be that a Tamagotchi Matrix would be trivially simple as compared to one for humans. Therefore the Singularity has arrived for Tamagotchis, while our own complexity remains rather far beyond the capacity of large-scale distributed computing platforms. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.152|108.162.221.152]] 15:03, 3 July 2015 (UTC)

Only Randall Munroe fantasizes about creating a legion of digital, mutated woodland creatures.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.88|173.245.54.88]] 14:34, 3 July 2015 (UTC)

: I could not disagree more. The popularity of PocketMonster digital games speaks to the broad appeal of such fantasies. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.152|108.162.221.152]] 15:03, 3 July 2015 (UTC)

The singularity reference is worth explaining: The Singularity is a frequent trope in Science Fiction stories that postulates a time when AI technologies become all-pervasive, often alongside ubiquitous computing. This can include a situation where human minds can be uploaded into AIs, effectively running as simulations within these large distributed computers. {{unsigned ip|141.101.98.139}}

: Can someone please elaborate on then significance of "singularity" in the comic? Sure, "the implication is that the author takes care of a population of virtual creatures rather than an AI ruling over the human population" but what has singularity got to do with this? ———[[User:Pacerier|Pacerier]] ([[User talk:Pacerier|talk]]) 18:44, 12 July 2015 (UTC)

: Actually "The Singularity" only means that an artificial system has grown in complexity beyond our ability to understand or predict it; In many ways this has already occurred. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.152|108.162.221.152]] 15:07, 3 July 2015 (UTC)
::I always thought 'The Singularity' was misnamed, anyway. In the way it is commonly used it is more like 'The Event Horizon'... Not that this has anything to do with the comic, but perhaps worth a side-note, anyway. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.181|141.101.98.181]] 19:35, 3 July 2015 (UTC)
:::The way I get it "singularity" it more about AI improving itself in a positive-feedback loop and gaining (near)infinite processing power in a finite time. One of the related themes is that since whatever emerges from that will have infinite amounts of processing power, it may take to simulating human brains, in vast amounts, just for fun or for some purpose - the joke here, as I understand it, is that since tamagotchi brains are significantly less complicated, it's already possible for us to simulate vast amounts of them, for fun. So from the tamagochis' point of view it's pretty much like the singularity is already here and we're it (the slight difference is we're not evolved from AIs made by the tamagotchis[citation needed], but other than that detail, yup pretty much like the singularity).--[[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.223|141.101.89.223]] 22:35, 3 July 2015 (UTC)
::::The so-called-Singularity' point for AI is apparently where the AI crosses the line of dominance and inexorability. So, yes, that's an 'event horizon', I'd say. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.53|141.101.99.53]] 03:14, 4 July 2015 (UTC)
::::I agree with this definition of singularity (the positive-feedback loop of self-improving AI reaching the point where it is gaining apparently infinite improvement in any human-measurable time), and disagree with the idea that it implies anything about AI taking over or simulating human brains. The joke (as I see it) is that the AI that is optimised to manage trillions of emulated Tamagotchis will start along the same self-improvement path as other, contemporary AIs but will at some point decide that it is pointless improving itself further. Or will purposefully cease improving itself out of the sheer horror of contemplating its rapidly expanding mind-space filled with gazillions of Tamagotchis... [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.167|108.162.229.167]] 08:35, 6 July 2015 (UTC)

Someone needs to get on this and create a BOINC project or something. In all seriousness though, I wonder how many Tamagotchis you could simulate at once on the average home computer. [[User:Saklad5|Saklad5]] ([[User talk:Saklad5|talk]]) 14:55, 3 July 2015 (UTC)

: First you'd need to actually make a 100% accurate Tamagotchi Simulator/Emulator. There's a Tamagotchi P1 (original 1996 model) simulator that exists out there but it's of unknown provenance, touchy and probably (I wouldn't know for sure since the code isn't available) inaccurate. Likely the best way to at least determine the behavior of a Tamagotchi on the low level would be to decompile Namco Bandai's discontinued free Tamagotchi L.i.f.e. android app, which has a Tamagotchi P1 Simulator mode. One would assume, being the original developers, they can create a 100% accurate simulation. Having that code to refer to, one could probably eventually code an accurate simulator. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.220.119|108.162.220.119]] 19:37, 3 July 2015 (UTC)

:: See [[http://hackaday.com/2013/05/24/tamagotchi-rom-dump-and-reverse-engineering/]] - Tamagotchi chip programming has already been reverse engineered. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.224|108.162.254.224]] 20:03, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

I'm very tired, and have been looking at something complicated for a long time - so may be seeing patterns where there are none - but is Randall [http://googleresearch.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/deepdream-code-example-for-visualizing.html? satirising Google here?] [[User:Bish|Bish]] ([[User talk:Bish|talk]]) 22:34, 3 July 2015 (UTC)

: Saying that you may see patterns where there are none you link the output of a machine that sees patterns where there are none. Well done, have an Internet. [[User:Matega|Matega]] ([[User talk:Matega|talk]]) 11:52, 4 July 2015 (UTC)

Can someone explain the reasoning behind the last part "and keeps them all constantly fed and happy"? Is it to counter past digital suffering? The real world? Personal reasons? I don't get it at all. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.116|108.162.229.116]] 14:35, 5 July 2015 (UTC) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.116|108.162.229.116]] 14:38, 5 July 2015 (UTC)
: You're making it way too complicated. Keeping the digital pet healthy and happy is just the point of the game. Providing a challenge (albeit a minor one since it's a very simple game) to the computer is the point of the exercise. Just simulating them and letting them die would be easy as hell, a matter of running a number of processes at once and then ignoring them. You're being way too philosophical about this, your question is something along the lines of "Why program a chess playing computer to win?" [[Special:Contributions/108.162.220.119|108.162.220.119]] 20:29, 5 July 2015 (UTC)
:: Noting that The Matrix (with its obvious parallels here) was allegedly made ''imperfect'' because the humans living in the early iterations of the 'perfect world' started to rebel against the unbelievable perfection. How long until the Tamagotchi start doing this? So we need to reprogram our array to keep them ''not'' so constantly fed and happy, to avoid rejection. And then, at some point(s), TamaNeo... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.252|141.101.98.252]] 09:15, 6 July 2015 (UTC)

Can someone make this? Along with specs for the virus aquarium? K, Tnx. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.63|173.245.48.63]] 06:02, 5 July 2015 (UTC)
: If I didn't have a bunch of other projects I should be paying attention to, I would. As I said above (I really need to make an account >.>) creating a Tamagotchi Simulator would probably involve decompiling and analyzing the android source code to the Tamagotchi L.i.f.e. app, and then coding a simulator based on it. Which shouldn't be particularly difficult, given the relatively simple game logic. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.220.119|108.162.220.119]] 20:29, 5 July 2015 (UTC)
:: The code for the Tamagotchi TamaGo and Friends has been extracted ([http://www.kwartzlab.ca/2013/05/first-glimpse-soul-tamagotchi/], [http://natashenka.ca/tamagotchi-friends-code-dump/]) and it can be run in browsers with the help of JavaScript (I forget where the site is though) [[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.161|173.245.48.161]] 04:56, 16 July 2015 (UTC)
::: Someone's did it, http://tamahive.spritesserver.nl/ [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.147|108.162.245.147]] 03:27, 22 November 2015 (UTC)
:::: Nice writeup at [http://hackaday.com/2015/11/24/building-the-infinite-matrix-of-tamagotchis/ http://hackaday.com/2015/11/24/building-the-infinite-matrix-of-tamagotchis/] [[User:Codehead|Codehead]] ([[User talk:Codehead|talk]]) 15:38, 25 November 2015 (UTC)

1549: xkcd Phone 3

2015-07-10T07:36:06Z

Codehead: Added Registered trade mark, Copyright and Trade Mark signs.

{{comic
| number = 1549
| date = July 10, 2015
| title = XKCD Phone 3
| image = xkcd_phone_3.png
| titletext = If you're not completely satisfied with the phone after 30 days, we will return you to your home at no cost.
}}

{{Incomplete|First draft}}

==Explanation==
This is a follow up to [[1363: xkcd Phone]] and [[1465: xkcd Phone 2]]. It parodies common smartphone specs by attributing absurd or useless features to a fictional phone.

*'''Ear screen''': A strange phrase as the word screen refers to a visual artifact while the ear process sound. It may refer to the loudspeaker.
*'''Heartbeat accelerator''':
*'''MobilePay money clip''': While mobile pay is a form of payment involving electronic transfers via cellphone, this model includes a money clip; a way of holding physical bills together, which beats the purpose of electronic payment. Whether this is a clip that transfers money digitally or the phrase mobile pay is just a marketing tag is unknown.
*'''Siri, or whoever it was we put in here''': A joke on intelligent personal assistants. It also jokes that Siri and the like are actual people, trapped inside of phones.
*'''Instead of being on surface only, screen goes all the way through''':
*'''theknot.com partnership: Phone licensed to perform wedding ceremonies and does so at random''':
*'''Fingerprint randomizer''': Presumably randomises the user's finger print, which may or may not be inconvenient depending on the intent of the user. It is not clear whether the device will change the person's fingerprint into a human-like fingerprint that is randomly selected from all possibilities, or if it completely mangles the fingerprint of the user.
*'''USB E (hotswappable)''':
*'''waterproof, but can drown''': Perhaps a reference to Siri or the person trapped in the phone drowning, but the phone itself staying functional.
*'''Foretold by prophecy''': Likely mocking people on the internet who attempt to predict when Apple will release their next device.
*'''Runs Natively''':All software in the phone will run specifically to the capabilities of the internal hardware. This would make the phone incapable of running most widely used applications from app stores, which would render it useless to most people.
*'''Wristband''': Probably mocking trending smart watches
*'''Wireless discharging''': Many modern cellphones feature wireless charging, which uses electromagnetic induction to charge the battery of the device. This model, apparently uses the same technology to discharge the battery; which, of course is something undesired, as one needs the battery's energy to run the phone.
*'''Magnetic stripe''': A data storage method used by devices such as credit cards and key cards to hold and transfer smalls amounts of information like key codes. Usually cellphones don't have them as they utilize more robust and protected ways to store and transmit data. The magnetic stripe shown would also be very annoying as it seems to block part of the screen. It's also likely unusable with current magnetic stripe readers due to the phone's thickness, in contrast to that of regular cards.
*'''2 AA batteries (not included)''': A phrase usually shown on small low powered electronic devices like remote controllers, and not on cellphones; which need to be constantly recharged for continuous use.
*'''boneless''': Reference to meat products being boneless, i.e. having all the bones removed, making it convenient to cook or eat. Unclear why a phone would be boneless since it is mostly inedible, perhaps a reference to the person trapped inside having their bones removed to make them easier to fit inside.

The title text is a joke on guarantees and customer service. Usually the advertisement says that if the customer is not satisfied with the product, they'll refund the money and take the product back at no additional cost. In this case they guarantee the customer they'll send him/her home without charge; implying they won't fix or refund anything.

==Transcript==
:Ear screen
:Heartbeat accelerator
:MobilePay money clip
:Siri, or whoever it was w put in here
:Instead of being on surface only, screen goes all the way through
:theknot.con partnership: Phone licensed to perform wedding ceremonies and does so at random
:Fingerprint randomizer
:USB E (hotswappable)
:waterproof, but can drown
:Foretold by prophecy
:Runs Natively
:Wristband
:Wireless discharging
:Magnetic stripe
:2 AA batteries (not included)
:boneless

:Introducing
:The XKCD phone 3
:we made another one<sup>®©</sup>™

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Smartphones]]

explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:1546: Tamagotchi Hive

1549: xkcd Phone 3