THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)
Fun Stuff => CHATTER => Topic started by: Jackie Blue on 11 Sep 2008, 23:32
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I've heard tonight from three reliable sources (gas station managers) that in the morning, gas in America is going to go up a whopping $1.25 in one fell swoop, making it around $5/gallon average.
Someone in another country, please let me come stay with you. I will do the dishes and pay rent.
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But you live in one of those rad Euro countries where you don't have to use a car to get every fucking where you would ever want to get to.
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Hilarious if true.
The last time I heard Rush Limbaugh(my parents, don't give me grief, I know) he was going on about HA HA HA THE FREE MARKET WORKS IT WAS JUST A BUBBLE IN THE OIL INDUSTRY AND NOW IT'S FIXING ITSELF.
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As someone whose job is to drive around to people's houses all night (NO I AM NOT A DRUG DEALER SHUT UP), I will go on strike if I don't get a raise.
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Unless you have a union, that's just a fancy way of saying "I'll quit".
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Why do you think that? I mean, I'm not saying you're lying, but--holy shit if true.
Does it have to do with this? Because that's pretty big news. (http://blogs.moneycentral.msn.com/topstocks/archive/2008/09/11/the-death-of-opec.aspx)
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I've heard tonight from three reliable sources (gas station managers) that in the morning, gas in America is going to go up a whopping $1.25 in one fell swoop, making it around $5/gallon average.
Someone in another country, please let me come stay with you. I will do the dishes and pay rent.
Im actually looking for a new housemate. Our sixth housemate decided to drop out of University, because he is a lot of words I wouldnt like to use in polite company.
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There are plenty of cities in the U.S that doesn't require a car to get around in.
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Yes, why don't all Americans just move there? Problem solved!
Well, they were talking about countries in EU where you don't have to drive to get anywhere. I was just stating there are places like that in America as well. :-D
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From the NY Times this morning (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/12/business/worldbusiness/12oil.html). The Price Per Barrel is climbing because of Hurricane Ike forcing shutdowns.
Gasoline prices in the United States had been falling, too, but they have reversed course and begun to rise as the disruptions have caused gasoline supplies to tighten. Regular unleaded gasoline stands at $3.67 a gallon on average, according to the automobile club AAA, up more than a penny in two days.
Much sharper price spikes could be on the way, at least in some regions. Wholesale gasoline prices on the Gulf Coast soared to more than $4 a gallon on Thursday morning, up more than 70 cents from the day before, according to Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst of the Oil Price Information Service.
“The market is in panic mode,” Mr. Kloza said. “The oddity here is I would not be surprised to see oil at $99 and retail gasoline above $4.”
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Oh man, it sucks living in a place that doesn't know how to build 'up' and instead just keeps building 'out.'
I can drive for like 3 hours and still be in the same city. This place sucks. Its hot too. Just another 14 months, then I'll be out of here, I swear it.
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Based on the context of that article about OPEC, I would expect that to drive the prices of gas down, at least until the rest of OPEC work together to run Saudi Arabia into horrible, uncontrollable debt through a price war they cannot sustain, and then send crude prices through the roof.
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Tomorrows headline: OPEC offers 1 free Fuck Saudi Arabia bumper sticker with every $10 barrel of crude.
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I just walked in from being out and about where I went by three gas stations.
Station 1: Up $.34 a gallon on the cheap stuff since yesterday.
Station 2 &3: Unchanged
So I stopped at one of the unchanged stations and filled up. While I was in there, the lady behind the counter said to another customer "Get gas now because the price is going up $.20 a gallon in an hour."
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In most of those countries though, you either don't have to drive as much, or the wages are higher, so I think it is proportionally balanced.
Also, in a related thought, I'd love to live in like New Hampshire or one of those up east places where you can start walking and cool places are like 10 minutes away, just by walking.
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I thought ahead when I was looking for an apartment for my current job.
I made sure that it was within walking distance.
Sure I had to pay a bit more in rent but I saved so much more in gas money.
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My job actually has moved further away from my house since I've had it. But it still isn't bad. I get good gas millage and only have about a 10 minute drive. And my city does have a busing system, which I could start using more, but its pretty unreliable.
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It might work better if you put diesel in it.
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In most of those countries though, you either don't have to drive as much, or the wages are higher, so I think it is proportionally balanced.
I have to drive forty miles to get to my job and forty miles back to get home. Usually four or five times a week.
My car is diesel so it adds up to about $80 a week in petrol.
Quit destroying my arguments, they are only held together on hopes and dreams! You must get great gas mileage to only spend $80 a week. I'd have to fill up after like 4 days of that.
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Hrm. Gas was actually cheaper at the two places I walk by on my way to work this morning. Premium had actually dropped under $4 for the first time in recent memory.
Seriously though? You're basing an assumption of a full 25%+ change in prices off of a gas station manager's say so?
Pro Tip: Managers know shit about shit.
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What I mean is that they really don't know shit beyond what the media probably told us a week ago. Most situations with gas prices are a matter of trends and outside factors. Anyone paying attention to the global economy and world events can probably get a general idea of what they'll probably be paying for gas in a week.
That said, anybody who knows shit about shit probably knew gas was not going to go up by a full buck and a quarter overnight right now. I remember when people were saying the same BS when Katrina hit. Gas was supposed to hit $5 a gallon by the end of the month and $7 a gallon by spring. Three full years later and we didn't actually hit the $5 barrier except in the most expensive of regions, and it pretty much shot right back down immediately when oil companies realized that that shit don't fly. The funniest thing? That was just inflation and poor economic handling and had shit all to do with hurricanes. It was because big oil got greedy.
If I want to know what gas is going to cost next week, I'd sooner ask Tommy or Bryan.
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Sorry to burst your bubble but gas is indeed $5/gallon here this morning, and most gas stations are actually out of gas.
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Source? Because I am calling bullshit on that.
Looking around the internet, the closest I'm finding to back up your claims is a blog post saying several Louisiana area gas stations were claiming as much as a $1.50 jump by Friday and it has been widely debunked as about a twenty cent blip at worst due to the hurricanes. Average gas prices across the nation, including in Louisiana and Texas, are still holding firm under $4 a gallon by everything my google-fu can turn up.
Only two states are averaging over $4 a gallon today, and those are Alaska and Hawaii, both of which are a result of having a typically higher than average price.
How about you back up this rather ludicrous claim?
Edit: All relevant data was yanked unceremoniously from gasbuddy.com and corresponding links with some extra help from google.
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The highest I saw in Western Mass this morning was $3.59.
That said, once you get closer to NoHo/Springfield, it's usually about 15 cents lower than Berkshire county.
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Source? A close friend of mine who just called me.
Trying to Google the price of gas in a couple towns over the past couple of hours strikes me as kind of difficult, though I did find a station close to here that someone has already reported on as having $5/gallon.
My research is turning up around $4/gallon. But the closest station to me, which I just called, had gone up to $4.95/gallon and is currently out of gas entirely.
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Source? A close friend of mine who just called me.
A close friend? Called you?
Consider my bubble burst.
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Yes, because it is so completely ridiculous to believe your friends when they call and say "I just drove by three gas stations where gas was $5 a gallon and two of them were out of gas".
:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:
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It's less your faith in your friends so much as the fact you're expecting people to take your word for it when your best source is "my buddy called me." I'll sooner believe google over a completely sourceless claim like that.
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Oh, fucking Christ. Don't believe me then! Fuck, dude, I'm not lying, why the fuck would I have any reason to lie...
Whatever. This forum. This fucking forum.
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Jon, I heard from my friend that his mom's podiatrist had to pay $5 more per gallon.
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Jackie, where the heck do you live? I filled up at $3.57 this morning and when I was out picking up lunch an hour ago, I saw no price increases.
Does a lot of the gas in your town come from the areas being effected by the hurricanes? Maybe that would trigger a localized increase?
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So long as we're going on anecdotal evidence, I just went out to buy myself a sandwitch. I decided to take a look at a few gas stations while I was at it, and they all had $4 regular gas (well $3.999). No one appeared to be out of gas. This is about a $.25 jump for here.
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Jon, I heard from my friend that his mom's podiatrist had to pay $5 more per gallon.
No shitting way, man! I just heard from Sully down the block that his cousin Joey's roommate's girlfriend just paid like $5 a gallon!
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Fuck all of you. If you don't like me, don't fucking respond anymore. I quit.
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I heard that 0.999... = 1
In other news, my flight was canceled today because my plane couldn't get off the treadmill.
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Fuck all of you. If you don't like me, don't fucking respond anymore. I quit.
o/
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Link (http://www.godanriver.com/gdr/news/local/danville_news/article/gas_prices_starting_to_jump/6156/)
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Fuck all of you. If you don't like me, don't fucking respond anymore. I quit.
o/
\o
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From Louisville:
"i filled up on my lunch break while it was still 3.87. there were people lined up to the street to get it, and there were people filling up gas cans left and right. by the time i had left and came back through there on my way back to work, it had went up to 4.19."
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I thought you quit
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I thought he said $5.
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...Did anybody click the link?
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I did and while it took like four minutes to load, I do appreciate SOMEBODY actually backing something up.
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From Louisville:
"i filled up on my lunch break while it was still 3.87. there were people lined up to the street to get it, and there were people filling up gas cans left and right. by the time i had left and came back through there on my way back to work, it had went up to 4.19."
That must have been in the last hour. Or maybe it's just downtown? Like I said, I looked about an hour ago and it was $4 in the Highlands and Germantown areas.
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Hasn't gone up any here, so I still do not believe this whole thing.
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Not going up in one localized area does not mean that it's not changing in other places. Different cities get their gas from different refineries. If the refinery your city relies on was unaffected than it's no surprise that the price didn't change.
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Thank you, (p)tommy. I don't believe I ever said that this was going to happen everywhere, I said I talked to three people whose job it is to change the gas price numbers on their signs. I should suspect those people would know what they're talking about, as regards their own gas station or chain of stations.
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I've heard tonight from three reliable sources (gas station managers) that in the morning, gas in America is going to go up a whopping $1.25 in one fell swoop, making it around $5/gallon average.
That's not saying that it was going to happen everywhere?
I mean I think everyone ganging up on you was pretty unwarranted, but damn, dude.
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You're right, I stand corrected. I posted in haste I suppose.
That doesn't excuse people from being massive dicks to me and saying that I'm lying about someone calling me who had been to several stations. I know it's not a particularly verifiable "source" but Christ, I've been around here long enough that I think people could assume I'm not just making shit up.
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Another friend reports:
"Just stopped at a Shell, I'm supposed to use premium, but they are rationing to $35.00, and premium was $4.99 vs the downright cheap regular at $4.59, so in my car that would get me just out of the parking lot. So I bought cheap gas, bounced up and down on the trunk to mix it well, and bought a can o' Octane Booster just in case. I'm gonna put an umbrella out the sunroof and use it as a sail.
In other news, for the first time in my life I may see US fuel price signs look like they did when I went to Germany in 1993."
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It's updating slow, but:
http://www.knoxvillegasprices.com/
The small suburb-town outside of Knoxville I live in apparently doesn't have anyone rushing to their computers to update. Probably they are waiting in line to get gas.
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why the fuck would I have any reason to lie...
Y'know that question would be a great one to ask about lots of bizarre shit people make up for no apparent reason. I'm thinking here of complex conspiracy theories and the like. Two possible answers include:
1. To stir up hysteria.
2. To draw attention to yourself.
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Yeah, fuck you too.
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huh? oh well whatever
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At that, I was wondering how I could have no idea who zerodrone is when they have nearly 3000 posts. Maybe all in the music forum or something?
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Anyone remember that post mods made a while back about not being complete dicks to people? No?
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In most of those countries though, you either don't have to drive as much, or the wages are higher, so I think it is proportionally balanced.
I have to drive forty miles to get to my job and forty miles back to get home. Usually four or five times a week.
My car is diesel so it adds up to about $80 a week in petrol.
Isn't standard gas in the UK higher octane than the standard gas in the US? Course, diesel could be a different story, and truth be told, I have no idea what higher octane does to mileage. I have heard from people in the UK that you tend to have cars with better mileage over there, though. Or... do you use Imperial gallons for MPG? That could explain some of it.
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I believe, and please don't quote me on this, that we have smaller cars, on average, because we have smaller roads, because we are a smaller country. My knowledge of cars is sketchy but I believe that a smaller car is generally lighter and therefore more economical with fuel.
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I got gas for $3.65 last night. It hadn't changed when I drove to campus this morning, then when I came back around noon it was up to $3.87, and now it's at $4.19. This is the first time I've seen gas over four dollars here. I'm pretty glad I filled up last night.
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Barmy, you have city cars and the like, but you also have most cars that the U.S. has, and the guy I am specifically thinking about said that his merc was the worst car of his MPG-wise, and it had better than 34 MPG, so he didn't see why in the US people bragged about 30+ being high. Does mercedes-benz make city cars? Well, according to Wikipedia, the U.K. does use Imperial Gallons for MPG, so that does explain some of it.
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I rode my bike past a gas station this morning on my way to work and the price was $3.63 a gallon. On my way to the post office around two pm, I rode past the same gas station and the price had jumped about 15 cents per gallon.
I began to think about how glad I was that I didn't drive, until a motorist drove through a puddle near the side of the road, which soaked me, my backpack and the packages contained within; quickly shaking me from my brief superiority complex.
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I got gas last night for $3.29. Fuck yeah, the oil industry runs this city with an iron fist. And they are good masters, indeed.
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Does mercedes-benz make city cars?
Smart Car (http://www.smart.com/) - originally made by Mercedes for Smart, but now owned by Mercedes; not to mention the A- and B-series.
And is anyone surprised we use Imperial Gallons here in the UK? You know, like for everything, not just mpg.
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$1.45 a litre at Shell. That's a little under $5 a gallon.
ffffffff
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Fill up in the states on Tuesday before you go back. Prices in North Dakota are still hovering around the $3.50 mostly.
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Out and about in the last couple hours, I noticed a couple of Exxon stations holding at $3.49 while their neighbors were jumping up to $3.56, $3.69, $3.71, even $3.79. It wasn't until I pulled into one to check it out that I noticed why: they were out. I'm willing to bet they were emptied out last night and this morning before they ever had a chance to raise the price (as that's what the price has been for the last few days).
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Stop being jerks, people.
In other news: Limbaugh's a fucking prick and gas is still fucking expensive.
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speaking of gas prices and mileage and things...
i am staying at a hotel that offers brekky in the lobby in the mornings and every morning some random person decides to talk to me about something. yesterday a guy was telling me how awesome a deal he got on his ford f-350 diesel truck, and how i was so stupid for paying full MSRP for my toyota yaris. a stranger called me stupid for buying a fuel efficient car at full price that i had to be on a waiting list to purchase instead of buying a ridiculous gas guzzler at 2/3 price. well, really he called me a 'damn fool girl.'
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Closest gas station to me reads $3.89, which is like 7 cents more then it was a week ago.
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I love my Yaris to bits but I would trade it for a Smart in a heartbeat. Soooo adorable!
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OH GOD IT IS GOING TO COST ME LIKE THIRTEEN DOLLARS TO FILL UP MY GAS TANK WHAT THE FUCK
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Nope, it's well above 5 dollars on the Gulf Coast.
Not across the whole country, but still.
He was right, to an extent. So stop being shitdicks.
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I love my Yaris to bits
I have a Yaris too. Her name is Neko. I love it.
So, just got home from work and about half the gas stations, maybe more, are completely out of gas. In some cities further East of me, gas is now at $6/gallon - if you can find any. Also, the manager at the station I stopped at claimed - though I find this hard to believe - that it will be at least 3-4 days before stations in those smaller towns get any more gas at all.
I am really glad I have a nearly full tank and didn't pay over 3.89 for gas all night - two of the major chains, Chevron and BP, kept prices low, I'm assuming they'll be out by morning.
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I believe, and please don't quote me on this, that we have smaller cars, on average, because we have smaller roads, because we are a smaller country. My knowledge of cars is sketchy but I believe that a smaller car is generally lighter and therefore more economical with fuel.
Smaller engine, burns fuel slower. Bigger engine burns fuel faster, but gives more power. That's why trucks, station wagons("cross-overs" and "SUVs"), and sports cars got crap for mileage.
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According to the Internet, it's only $3.59 here in Pittsburgh, but I fully expect it to go up. And just in time for the bus drivers' strike!
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I would be lying if I said that I didn't love huge manly masculine cars. Ones that are either 20 years old or the new camaro.
HOWEVER
Even if I could afford these things, and wasn't scared to drive. Gas is around 1.35 here per litre.
..CANADA IS HUGE D: WHY SO EXPENSIVE AUGH
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I would be lying if I said that I didn't love huge manly masculine cars.
Minus the camaro part, that's pretty awful.
It just started fucking pouring here, out of no where. I mean literally, it went from slightly humid to fucking buckets in less than two seconds. I imagine it's the whole hurricane thing getting sent out from the south, so I can only imagine what it's like down there.
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Hell on wheels. Texas got another one of those "Get out or die!" warnings from the govt. Awesome. The surge is so powerful, the news described it as a tsunami, but they barely covered that(there was a train wreck with almost 20 dead, so that got more coverage because it was local).
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It's only really Houston an surrounding coastal areas that are getting the brunt of it. In Austin, we haven't even gotten rain. The trees are just blowing around a little more than usual.
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I really want a Chrysler (preferably a Cruiser) because they are the sexy version of a VW Beetle, but I would look pretty silly driving it and also moneyzzzz.
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Imagist, we've been getting tons of rain in OKC. It's strange you wouldn't be getting any in Austin! Do you know why? Out of curiosity.
And prices here have risen about $.20 in the last few days. So, now it's about $3.50. But, it's still pretty much nothing comparatively. My cousins in California said it was around $5 out there.
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I did and while it took like four minutes to load, I do appreciate SOMEBODY actually backing something up.
Man, Jon, stop being such a dick to everyone. It isn't funny when you are actually an asshole.
I just had two friends get home from work. One works in Roswell, about 30 minutes' drive from here, and the other works in Forest Park, about 45 minutes away. Both said that they passed gas station after station where there were lines of cars 50+ long to get premium gas (the only thing left) at $5.35/gallon, and the rest of the stations were entirely sold out. I have $20 to my name, so I have to wait a few days to fill up my completely-empty tank (probably to half full, at best), because right now it would not even buy my 4 gallons, and my tank takes 16.
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Wait, what the fuck? I was thanking the guy.
Christ.
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I stopped reading towards the top of this page because you were being a dick.
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Imagist, we've been getting tons of rain in OKC. It's strange you wouldn't be getting any in Austin! Do you know why? Out of curiosity.
The hurricane took a northern track compared to what they initially thought. Everybody was panicking here and in Corpus Christi until Wedensday, and on Thursday morning it all shifted to Houston and everything on the new path. In fact, it's bright and sunny with minimal tree motion right now.
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it's still been the same here...about 3.70-3.80 reg
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Why the hell is gas back up to 3.90 in Janesville WISCONSIN.
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Reliance on Texan refineries.
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I got more gas today for 3.83 per gallon. It is also the last time I will have to pay for gas for the next nine months!
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I think we paid $4.02 at a gas station on the mountain for me.
My mum paid $3.83 at a Costco for premium in LA, however. Damn mountain and its expensive gas.
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Does mercedes-benz make city cars?
Smart Car (http://www.smart.com/) - originally made by Mercedes for Smart, but now owned by Mercedes; not to mention the A- and B-series.
And is anyone surprised we use Imperial Gallons here in the UK? You know, like for everything, not just mpg.
I think some people don't know that the US uses different gallons. I didn't until a few years ago, then again, the knowledge of a junior-high kid shouldn't be a target to aspire to.
Carrion, that isn't all there is to it, though, with regards to MPG. You could hypothetically run a big old van (15-seater) on a 2 liter 4-cylinder, but it would have to rev higher to pull itself along, using more gas. A smaller, lighter car on the same engine can run at lower revs, which is why, just grabbing a random year and brand, an '00 ford using the same engine (4.6 v8) can have different mileage. The mustang with it and a 5-speed manual has 15 city, 23 highway, while an F-150 with a 5-speed manual has 13 city, 19 highway.
Also, using 4WD takes more gas, which is why subarus don't have stellar MPG, even with 2.5 flat 4, as to why it takes more, I can't tell you, maybe it is that driving four wheels takes more, even though they are splitting the effort, that makes sense, since you are spinning more weight, but it isn't my area of expertise.
Oh, and I just gassed up for 3.57 a gallon, makes sense, Cheyenne has a lot of refineries, so local stations probably get it from there.
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Jesus Christ guys, get a metric system already.
(I ride a push-bike everywhere, I cannot participate constructively in this conversation. Sorry.)
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Why should we? If base 10 is so awesome, why do computers use base 16? Base 10 is only used due to humans having 10 fingers.
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Why should we? If base 10 is so awesome, why do computers use base 16? Base 10 is only used due to humans having 10 fingers.
Computers use base 2. As in, binary. And that is only because of the nature of the electrical components, which are either "on" or "off." Does that mean it is any less convenient?
Also, our non-metric systems of measurement aren't base anything. They're completely arbitrary, and therefore completely confusing. How many ounces in a pound again?...
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My automotive device can travel two furlongs per seven mutckins of petroleum.
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Come on, use real units. My automobile gets 3DAB16 furlongs per firkin. Or 11110110101112 furlongs per firkin, if you prefer.
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Apparently a mutckin is 3/4s of an imperial pint.
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Why should we? If base 10 is so awesome, why do computers use base 16? Base 10 is only used due to humans having 10 fingers.
Computers use base 2. As in, binary. And that is only because of the nature of the electrical components, which are either "on" or "off." Does that mean it is any less convenient?
Also, our non-metric systems of measurement aren't base anything. They're completely arbitrary, and therefore completely confusing. How many ounces in a pound again?...
Computers use base two like our brains use... I don't know enough neurology to finish the metaphor, someone help me out here? The very basic of how our brains work, I would say our brains use binary, in that either a connection has electricity travelling on it or it doesn't, but for all I know, that is bull. Windows, at least, uses hexadecimal, base 16, and I think most OSs do so as well, though I could be wrong. There has to be a reason behind that, anyone know history of computers well enough to tell me what it is? Did one of the original computer guys lose a couple fingers?
The imperial system tends to use multiples of two to go up in terms. It makes some sense, when you think about it, people usually get one or two things, not one or ten. I knew a guy that made a whole long post on the subject, he really knew his stuff, or at least was good enough to make it sound like he did. I'll see if I can find it, if you want to read it. Interesting stuff.
16 ounces in a pound, 8 fluid ounces in a cup, 2 cups to a pint (which makes you wonder why they don't just say cup rather than half-pint, maybe ambiguity between the cup object and the cup measurement?), 2 pints to a quart, 4 quarts to a gallon. Not consistent, but always either doubling, quadrupling, or octupling. I imagine that there is an intermediate step between quarts and gallons, I mean a real name, not just half-gallon, like there are decimeters but you never hear anyone using them. Maybe the same with ounces to cup. The yard is the only exception to the even number tendency I can think of off the top of my head. I believe the foot measurement was based off of the tread of a marching legionnaire, and other measurements were based off of how far an army could march in a certain amount of time (mile seems a bit short, but then again, hoplites carried armor, spears, shields, swords, and walked long distances. Most were shorter than the average person today as well, and probably not as well nourished).
And would someone please tell me what kind of animal has fur that stretches out for an eighth of a mile? I need to shoot me one of those, lifetime's supply of leather right there, unless you are Rob Halford.
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Man, it's all well and good to "explain" where these absolutely arbitrary measurements come from (mile? WTF?), but do you realize how many people have no idea how to convert between these units? It makes conversions for, say, mathematical calculations (which already use decimal units, why not continue that trend!) so much more of a pain than necessary. And besides, how relevant are any of those measurements now? None of them have any meaning to an average person beyond the fact that they are ingrained into our memory from an early age. The only arguments against switching is it would be difficult to change things that are already established, like highway markers, and harder on people who are already used to this terrible, terrible system, but it would make everything ever so much easier, in the long run. Oh, and our system is also probably easier on cooks, but they already use their own ridiculous measurements like dashes and pinches, so whatever.
RE: Computers: Hexadecimal was convenient for early computers because they were built on 16-bit architecture: a memory address was usually 16 binary digits (16-bit address space), and the information at any given address was also 16 digits long (16-bit addressability). So, instead of having to write out a sequence of 16 ones and zeros, computers could simply use hexadecimal digits to represent groups of four digits (2^4 = 16). This doesn't necessarily make anything easier, as when a computer is executing some instruction in memory it still has to expand into binary to parse the opcode, operands, etc., and even doing simple calculations it's often easier to use binary, as it simplfies the arithmetic (especially given two's complement calculations with negative numbers; at least, I find binary easier to understand in that case). So computers only really "use" base-16 numbers for input/output related things, as it's easier to report a long binary number in this kind of hexadecimal shorthand. Interestingly, it's not much harder to convert from binary to decimal than it is from binary to hexadecimal. At least, the logic behind the algorithms is pretty similar.
As far as Windows using hexadecimal, that's not quite true anymore. The x86 architecture, on which most processors for the last many years of computing have been based, is actually a 32-bit processor: 32-bit address space, 32-bit addressability. So mostly it works with larger numbers, but still in the way I outlined above. Eight hexadecimal digits per binary word instead of four. In recent years they've been developing stuff like the x86-64 architecture, which is 64-bit in contrast. This is why you have had 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows' latest OSs, and why programs designed for one aren't necessarily compatible with the other (if you're trying to read from one memory location to the next in a 32-bit program, that same program, depending on how it's designed, may instead read the first half of one location, then the second half, and so on).
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You guys really are being kind of assholes to this guy. I understand you don't care much for him, but really he's done nothing wrong in this thread and you're not encouraging good forum behavior when you jump on him just as much when he hasn't done anything here (vs in the fashion thread).
The more remote you are, the prices rise much faster than in urban areas where people have more options about which station they go to. I am right on the border to DC and gas reached $3.85 this morning. Gas in my hometown tends to be 25-30 cents more a gallon than here. So I am really not all that incredulous that wherever he is has manged to reach $5.
Oh and last time gas prices got high, stations around here ran out of gas. I believe him.
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What's really confusing in America is that most often marijuana is sold by the ounce (or half, quarter, or 1/8 ounce) but is weighed in grams.
Whoever thought that up must have been PRETTY STONED, DUDE.
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You guys really are being kind of assholes to this guy. I understand you don't care much for him
Only one person was truly an asshole to me in this thread. Every time I say that people on here don't like me, someone says "Stop being dramatic, nobody dislikes you", so I'm just going to stop trying to figure it out.
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RE: Computers: Hexadecimal was convenient for early computers because they were built on 16-bit architecture: a memory address was usually 16 binary digits (16-bit address space), and the information at any given address was also 16 digits long (16-bit addressability). So, instead of having to write out a sequence of 16 ones and zeros, computers could simply use hexadecimal digits to represent groups of four digits (2^4 = 16). This doesn't necessarily make anything easier, as when a computer is executing some instruction in memory it still has to expand into binary to parse the opcode, operands, etc., and even doing simple calculations it's often easier to use binary, as it simplfies the arithmetic (especially given two's complement calculations with negative numbers; at least, I find binary easier to understand in that case). So computers only really "use" base-16 numbers for input/output related things, as it's easier to report a long binary number in this kind of hexadecimal shorthand. Interestingly, it's not much harder to convert from binary to decimal than it is from binary to hexadecimal. At least, the logic behind the algorithms is pretty similar.
As far as Windows using hexadecimal, that's not quite true anymore. The x86 architecture, on which most processors for the last many years of computing have been based, is actually a 32-bit processor: 32-bit address space, 32-bit addressability. So mostly it works with larger numbers, but still in the way I outlined above. Eight hexadecimal digits per binary word instead of four. In recent years they've been developing stuff like the x86-64 architecture, which is 64-bit in contrast. This is why you have had 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows' latest OSs, and why programs designed for one aren't necessarily compatible with the other (if you're trying to read from one memory location to the next in a 32-bit program, that same program, depending on how it's designed, may instead read the first half of one location, then the second half, and so on).
I think it's worth noting that none of these OSes or computers were on hexadecimal architecture. They were all binary, but represented in hex for the user/programmer's benefit, because it's a convenient shorthand and converts extremely quickly and easily. The computer sees binary, the user sees hex, but it's the same thing.
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Did I not explain that bit of it? I thought I had. Probably not well, anyway.
Oh, I am a cocker. I terribly interchanged "hexadecimal" and "16-bit" at certain points. Bloody 16, what a terrible number. Also, "computer" is both the machine and the person, so that's a little confusing in my post.
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Come on, use real units. My automobile gets 3DAB16 furlongs per firkin. Or 11110110101112 furlongs per firkin, if you prefer.
Those values are not equal, and I'd still call balderdash on your car being that efficient even at the most conservative estimate.
DAMN STRAIGHT I'M GONNA CALL YOU OUT ON THIS.
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Actually, if anybody believes those numbers, I have some ocean front property ,here in Arizona, for sale.
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I think what it really comes down to with measurements is what you are used to, it is like your first language, no matter how many others you use, the first one you learn is going to be the one you use best and reflexively, you drop something on your foot after spending 30 years in spain and growing up in an english-speaking country, you aren't going to swear in spanish, you will swear in english. I think in US imperial units, if I use meters, it is because that is what I was given the information in originally, I wouldn't be able to show what that distance is without converting it from yards. I have no problem with someone else using meters, but I prefer using yards, just like I could learn to be right-handed, but fuck you very much if you try to force me to do so.
Celtic, everyone knows there isn't any beachfront property in arizona. I would buy you if you said east of the San Fernando valley, but that is because I know it has to happen soon, Kurt Russell can't stay in shape forever.
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Celtic, everyone knows there isn't any beachfront property in arizona. I would buy you if you said east of the San Fernando valley, but that is because I know it has to happen soon, Kurt Russell can't stay in shape forever.
Sorry, it's a joke. The idea is that if you believe some totally out of it thing, then you would also believe that there is ocean front property in Arizona. Sort of akin to selling someone the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City.
By the way:
Furlong,Firkin, Fortnight System (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FFF_System)
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Yeah, I know, I was trying to make an Escape from L.A. joke, but then I realized that it was only LA that became an island in that movie, and it didn't work without changing the setting, and then I really screwed it up.
edit: And I think I must be miscalculating the binary, because the way I read it, that wouldn't be difficult, as that gives you more than 15 gallons, and only 34 furlongs, which is 5 and 4/6ths miles.
1111 is 15, right? 8,4,2,1? Should I not be grouping it into segments of four digits? Should it go 4096,2048,1024,512,256,128,64,32,16,8,4,2,1? I'm actually not fluent in either binary or hex, I was going to be taught computer-based stuff in elementary, but that never panned out after the first two lessons or so, on an apple II.
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Yeah. I would give you a ration about that, had I not screwed up approximately a zillion jokes that I have tried to make up in my time.
Don't take any wooden nickels.
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A ration? Never heard that expression before.
Course, you have had a lot more time to screw up jokes than I have.
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The full expression is "a ration of shit". Meaning that I would make fun of you for it. And, yes, I have had an enormously long to screw up jokes, and many other things, too.
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Ah, okay. That a term that has an origin in the military? It just sounds like something I would expect to hear a veteran say.
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Reviewing my posts in this thread, I think that:
a) I should have thought about it more first, and
b) been more sober.
Iechyd da!
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Computers use base two like our brains use... I don't know enough neurology to finish the metaphor, someone help me out here? The very basic of how our brains work, I would say our brains use binary, in that either a connection has electricity travelling on it or it doesn't, but for all I know, that is bull.
Our brains are not digital. They're analog.
The imperial system tends to use multiples of two to go up in terms. It makes some sense, when you think about it, people usually get one or two things, not one or ten. I knew a guy that made a whole long post on the subject, he really knew his stuff, or at least was good enough to make it sound like he did. I'll see if I can find it, if you want to read it. Interesting stuff.
The Imperial system is a hodgepodge of systems with a number of bases: decimal, sexagesimal, duodecimal, vigesimal, etc, which is why it's not particularly consistent. It goes well with the English language, which is a hodgepodge of other languages.
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Computers use base two like our brains use... I don't know enough neurology to finish the metaphor, someone help me out here? The very basic of how our brains work, I would say our brains use binary, in that either a connection has electricity travelling on it or it doesn't, but for all I know, that is bull.
Our brains are not digital. They're analog.
My brain transcends such pedestrian distinctions.
Being serious, neither of you is really correct. Surprise, neural biology is more complex than an either/or decision!
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Isn't any given neuron either firing or not firing? I mean, in that sense, at least, it's digital--even though any given perceptible action or reaction or thought is the product of lots and lots of neurons firing.
I have no idea what I'm talking about now.
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Well I didn't really want to go into details, but no it isn't as simple as whether or not they are firing. How strongly they are firing matters (ie. analog) but most important really is how quickly they are firing. That is to say, your brain is more like FM radio than AM. Or for another analogy, think of how Morse code works.
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You know that horse that would tap the ground over and over to answer questions? It's like that.
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It's looking for food? Actually, that's pretty accurate, for one part of said brain at least.
I'm actually taking a psych 101 class right now, we are doing at least some of it on the various areas of the brain, covered the story of Phineas Gage, people that have had damage to certain areas of the brain (there was one guy named clive who was a brilliant concert pianist, but every 30 seconds, his conscious memory reset itself. He could play piano, but couldn't tell you how he knew, could tell you what season it was, knew the person working with him well enough to kiss her as a greeting, but didn't recognize her at all. Chilling.), that sort of stuff. Interesting, but not what I signed up for.
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Nodaisho, it's still only September, they're just trying to give you a sense of wonder about the field ("see how weird things can be? Aren't you interested?")
Anyway, the brain is definitely not digital. With 20-30-some different primary chemical messengers determining when and how and how fast any neuron fires, each of them acting at different receptor sites, some of them inhibitory, some of them excitatory, thousands of input and output connections per neuron, and a whole bunch of other factors involved, it's really not an "on-off" system.
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I bet that if you break it down far enough, though, it is a very very complex binary system, you just have to be able to keep looking deep enough. We might not know enough yet to find it, though.
I think that being able to figure out what makes people tick would be far more interesting than looking at pictures of the brain. The closest thing that happened to that so far was the teacher doing a cold reading on the first day of class, he printed out the exact same description, which read like a horoscope, for each person, supposedly analyzing them.
In one page, we have gone from gas to psychology, you all should be proud of yourselves.
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No, the chemical nature of the neurotransmitter system makes for a level of unpredictability that separates it from being a binary system. See, a neuron firing isn't just an electrical zap. That happens within a neuron (chemically I might add, it's a really complicated process, all K+ ions and voltage-gated channels and shit) but the actual means of communicating to other neurons is through chemical release. That chemical release is just too sloppy of a communication system to make neuron-to-neuron communication a binary process, especially since some of these chemicals act against others. Basically, a neuron only fires if the voltage difference between the inside of the cell and what's happening outside of it gets pushed beyond a certain point, and THAT process is moderated by OTHER chemical messengers that receive the neurotransmitters from other neurons and then affect the inside of the cell in a whole separate variety of ways. It's just not a strict action-reaction situation, it's much too organic for that. Saying the brain is essentially a binary system is like saying humanity is essentially a really complicated species of mold.
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Humanity is a virus, haven't you seen the Matrix? (I am too classy to put an eye-rolling emoticon or 'rolls eyes' in asterisks, so I'm putting this here in case someone thought I wasn't joking)
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Have you ever seen a picture of a Rube Goldberg machine? The brain is kinda like that.
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I hate my brain, it just shoots me! (http://www.hulu.com/watch/5550/family-guy-breakfast-machine)
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you know, if gas gets any more expensive, people will just have to walk or bike everywhere even though everywhere is supposed to be car-distance. basically, America could get unfat.
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Yeah, sorry. I'm against pointless necroing, but i figured since it was still on the front page it would be okay. what is your limit on how old a thread can be before it's considered dead? and now i realize the thread wasn't just old, it was pretty much completely unable to support any more useful conversation. I just wasn't thinking, cause it's midnight here and i'm tired. I'll try not to do stupid stuff like that again. Hopefully we can just let it die again.
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General rule of thumb I've heard is two weeks, though I don't know that this place has a specific rule about it. But yeah, nearly a month is definite necro territory. "Still on the first page" doesn't quite work when a board doesn't get a lot of new threads in it, just a lot of activity on old ones.