Guest19023892

I agree. It's a little strange to complain about a lack of progress in webcams the past decade, and then ship similar quality hardware to decade old webcams.

Why does everyone focus on a small form factor for webcams? Look at the size of microphones being sold today. The Blue Yeti is one of the most popular microphones and it's almost 30cm (12") in height. You might say, if you don't mind a large form factor, then go buy a DSLR or mirrorless camera. The problem there is they're not designed to be webcams. I watched one of the Lumina videos, and they were complaining the $2,000 Sony camera took forever to setup and configure for their demo. That's a problem. Someone solve it. Give me a large high quality camera that is designed to be a webcam first. I have lots of room on my desk, it doesn't need to fit in my pocket.

I upgraded a desktop machine the last time I visited my family. It was a Windows 7 computer that was at least 10 years old with 4GB of ram. They wanted to use it online for basic web browsing, so I thought I'd install Windows 10 for security reasons and drop in a modern SSD to upgrade the old 7200rpm drive to make it more snappy.

Well, it felt slower after the "upgrade". Clicking the start menu and opening something like the Downloads or Documents folder was basically instant before. Now, with Windows 10 and the new SSD there was a noticeable delay when opening and browsing folders.

It really made me wonder how it would be running something like Windows 98 and websites of the past on modern hardware.

I once saw a spider with long legs in a web by my bathroom sink. I flicked a bit of water at him and a drop of water stuck to his body and covered it. He quickly climbed down the web to the counter (only 6 inches or so) and crouched down to briefly touch his body to the dry countertop. That removed the drop of water from his body, and then he climbed back up.

Aside from that, I sometimes like to toss foreign objects in spider webs. For example, I'll toss a piece of a leaf into a web. The spider will quickly come over, work some magic for a few seconds, and then the leaf is suddenly untangled and floats away. It's really interesting to see how quickly they're able to remove unwanted objects from their webs to keep them clean.

How can we be certain we're also not bound by the laws of physics and chemistry? If the universe went back in time exactly one year, is there any reason you wouldn't make all of the same decisions?

I understand evolution and the time frame. I have no trouble with that concept. What I find difficult to believe is that a viable universe started in the first place to give evolution the opportunity to succeed.

> What is so remarkable about the iPhone or the spaceship? What brings you to make a distinction between a "live" human body and an "inanimate" celestial body?

I'm not trying to say that humans are more important or meaningful than a rock. I agree with you that nothing inherently has meaning and it's an attribute we create and assign. I'm only saying that we're intelligent beings that are capable of some rather advanced tasks, such as creating a iPhone. In my opinion, it seems far less likely for us to exist than either nothing, or a simpler universe without us.

Yes, it's not impossible, just like I could throw a handful of sand in that air that falls to the ground and happens to write the story of my life. It's so unlikely though that I can't help but wonder if it wasn't just chance that we're here.

> “Why” we exist is coincidence and millions of years of happy little evolutionary experiments blindly conducted by nature.

I'm not religious either, but I always find this hard to believe. What are the odds nature happened to provide all the building blocks for us to be here to question our existence? It seems far more likely that (i) nothing would exist, (ii) the universe wouldn't have the right combination of properties and forces to maintain its own existence, or (iii) it would be a boring universe filled with a couple of basic elements capable of producing nothing of interest. Instead, we have complex life and we're here building iPhones and spaceships.

For that reason I can't believe there's a single universe and through coincidence it happened to contain everything needed for life. Even if we go with the multiverse theory and a near infinite number of universes, I still find it difficult to believe. You can argue the universe is filled with a bunch of garbage and we're assigning meaning and value to that garbage because it's us, and we want to feel important. However, I really don't feel like anything (and certainly not something as complex as us) should exist in the first place. I want to say it's too much of a coincidence to happen by chance, but at the same time, I don't have a better answer as to why we're here.

I've always been slightly below average weight my entire life (late 30s now), and it's a bit of a struggle to maintain that weight. I typically eat a little extra each day, not because I'm particularly hungry or interested in eating, just because I don't want to fall underweight.

I've counted calories closely before and it's not black magic at work, I just don't eat enough. It feels like I eat a lot (probably because it's mostly food I cook myself and not calorie dense fast food) and I feel full, but the calories don't lie.

I'm guessing it's the reverse for people struggling to lose weight. I feel full and comfortable 200 calories below the daily recommended amount, and they likely feel that same way 200 calories above. I easily fall underweight if I stop paying attention to my diet, and they likely become overweight when they do the same and listen to their body.

For expensive objects, a lot of the price goes into the limited production runs. A number of these very expensive watches ($100,000k+) might be a single unique piece or limited runs of 100. They take a lot of time to develop, the production expenses are high because of the small numbers being produced, and it's reflected in the final price. For higher end mass produced watches, the expense is in the tighter tolerances, materials, and craftsmanship. You can search for macro videos online to see the difference between a typical $500, $5,000, and $50,000 watch. The extra details and care given to the construction of the watches is impressive. Yes, some brands charge a premium for their name. I'm aware of that, however, it doesn't necessarily indicate the buyer is trying to impress others. Someone could buy a Rolex because it's one of the most iconic watches in history and in their mind it's the peak of their watch hobby.

And you see this with nearly every hobby. If you look at the audiophile community, you'll see people with $20,000 speakers in their living room, yet they live a rather modest lifestyle. You can find people spending thousands of dollars on samurai swords to hang on their bedroom wall. These people are not trying to impress the world. They have a hobby and they are able to appreciate these items.

The special value of the diamonds? People have worn diamonds for ages. It's been ingrained in our culture that diamonds are significant as they've been worn by royalty and noble figures over the years and marketed as a symbol of love. They're also the hardest naturally occurring substance on the planet and look quite nice to the eye. Did you ever see a child dress up like a princess? They didn't do it because they wanted to impress others, they did it because it made them feel special. Wearing diamonds can have that same impact. It can make someone feel special, or represent to themselves their own successes and accomplishments in life. I looked at wedding bands the other year. Many of them had diamonds hidden on the inside of the band. If the purpose of diamond jewelry was only to impress others, why would they be hidden on these rings and only known to the wearer?

I'm not going to say expensive objects or diamonds are never used to impress others. I'm only saying that's one of many reasons why someone might make such a purchase. I don't think it's appropriate to see something of value and automatically assume the owner only bought it to impress you. If you talk to them about the purchase, they might be able to talk your ear off about their passion and what that object means to them.

Why do you assume all of these things only exist to impress others? There's a lot to appreciate in the design and craftsmanship of a well made product, its impact on culture, or its significance in history. Or maybe the object simply puts a smile on your face when you see it or touch it. That new phone could make someones work day more efficient. That diamond necklace could be a gift from their loved one and a reminder of the times they shared together when they look in the mirror. It seems a bit shortsighted to suggest that expensive things only exist to impress others.

I don't agree here. This social network is a tool for one method of communication. It doesn't need to be a platform for all types of communication. By trying to excel at everything, it would do nothing particularly well.

You choose the right tool for the job. If a friend is in critical care at the hospital with life threatening injuries, do you really think "slow social" is the appropriate service to use? That's just being silly. As the name suggests, this service is designed for the opposite type of communication. It's like complaining that Sharpie markers should make thinner lines because sometimes you need to write complex notes. Or, that Ferrari should modify their cars because sometimes you need to tow a boat.

I was watching the news last night and they interviewed an older woman who left her high paying finance career to work as a florist. It's far less pay, and she finds her life much more rewarding and happy now.

Based on your post, you would look down at her florist job and think it's unfortunate she never achieved her dream in life. Meanwhile, she realized her dream, and she left her high paying comfortable career to achieve it.

In short, stop making assumptions that other people have the same dream as you or want to be in your position. Not everyone thinks a comfortable job is the definition of success or happiness in life. You know nothing about these people, their families, their friends, their hobbies, or their goals. It's really rude to assume they need your large tips or that they have a less fulfilling life. You'd probably be surprised how many of these people have no interest in trading places with you.