Questions you want answered.

qaraq wrote:

A few weeks ago I saw (might have been here) an announcement about a game under development that simulates the career of a Royal Navy frigate captain in the early 1800s. Basically a Jack Aubrey simulator. But I've forgotten the name and publisher. Does this ring a bell with anyone?

No, but I really want to know about this game. I'm all in for any game set in the Age of Sail.

I found it searching my browser history once I got on my home PC- the game I'm thinking of is called HMS from 'Every Single Soldier'. I read it in Rock Paper Shotgun's Flare Path column on 1/19.

qaraq wrote:

I found it searching my browser history once I got on my home PC- the game I'm thinking of is called HMS from 'Every Single Soldier'. I read it in Rock Paper Shotgun's Flare Path column on 1/19.

A board game version too! Now I'm doubly interested.

God I hope those meeples are called seaples.

Gravey wrote:

God I hope those meeples are called seaples.

I approve of this message.

What if we combine two ideas: The Great Filter, and It Would Take A Computer The Size of the Universe to Simulate the Universe.

What if the universe IS one big simulation, but it only has to simulate the parts that we happen to be observing at the time, like in a video game.

Throw that in as a potential filter for intelligent life. As soon as we start exploring too much of the universe, we get erased/squashed because there isn't enough computing power to have us be all over the place like that.

*I have not been smoking anything today

The problem I have with a computer that size is reliability. Why would we not notice the failures of components, eventually if not to date?

Robear wrote:

The problem I have with a computer that size is reliability. Why would we not notice the failures of components, eventually if not to date?

Physics are very reliable.

If the computation is encoded in the physical processes that take place in the universe, then you have an extremely reliable computer.

Awhile back I was tooling around a similar idea actually: Imagining a research team trying to get more grant funding because the species they were simulating kept doing particle acceleration and quantum experiments that were requiring too much processing power.

On another note, a simulated universe is actually one potential explanation for the Fermi Paradox. Why hasn't some other species becoming space faring and spread throughout the galaxy over the last 14 billion years? Because the simulation started 500 million years ago with an empty 13.5 billion year old universe, and that simulation may or may not be "fully modelling" the entire universe.

Jonman wrote:

Physics are very reliable.

Typical Big Physics propaganda! Stars are EXPLODING people. There's RADIATION everywhere and Jupiter is full of TOXINS. In space, PLANTS DIE and that proves it's unnatural! Everyone knows that Hubble is actually pointing at the Earth so they can look through your windows to READ YOUR FACEBOOK PAGE.

That's why we need to TEACH THE CONTROVERSY and defeat the Big Physics. Go to my webpage for One Weird Trick that THEY don't want you to know!

Robear wrote:

The problem I have with a computer that size is reliability. Why would we not notice the failures of components, eventually if not to date?

You are assuming the problems take the place of weird quirks just barely noticeable and not issues that require reverting to an earlier save state.

We would not be able to detect a rollback, so I don't worry about that.

Jonman, if the systems are both conducting the interactions of a real universe, and simulating one, then the simulator is by definition smaller than the actual universe, and can't sim it all.

Robear wrote:

We would not be able to detect a rollback, so I don't worry about that.

Jonman, if the systems are both conducting the interactions of a real universe, and simulating one, then the simulator is by definition smaller than the actual universe, and can't sim it all.

Nonsense. As the fidelity of the sim approaches 100%, the difference in size approaches zero.

Jonman wrote:
Robear wrote:

We would not be able to detect a rollback, so I don't worry about that.

Jonman, if the systems are both conducting the interactions of a real universe, and simulating one, then the simulator is by definition smaller than the actual universe, and can't sim it all.

Nonsense. As the fidelity of the sim approaches 100%, the difference in size approaches zero.

"In the superclusters of the Perseus–Pegasus Filament, still today, there are Tattered Ruins of that Simulation…"

Yonder wrote:

Awhile back I was tooling around a similar idea actually: Imagining a research team trying to get more grant funding because the species they were simulating kept doing particle acceleration and quantum experiments that were requiring too much processing power.

On another note, a simulated universe is actually one potential explanation for the Fermi Paradox. Why hasn't some other species becoming space faring and spread throughout the galaxy over the last 14 billion years? Because the simulation started 500 million years ago with an empty 13.5 billion year old universe, and that simulation may or may not be "fully modelling" the entire universe.

Can you explain why "500 million years" ago? Just wondering why that number.

Also, I realize that this video game rendering hypothesis is anthropocentric in that it assumes I (and we humans) are special actors, instead of just part of the simulation. Technically speaking, the "player" is the Grand Gamer In The Sky that is playing our game, i.e. our Universe.

If we follow that line of thinking, the only reason we all are aware of anything is because the GGITS (Grand Gamer In The Sky) is paying attention to us. So yeah, we're "special" in that sense. But we're still just bits and bytes. We're being rendered. But we're still just part of a program.

Lastly: Yonder, I like your funding image. No matter how powerful, the gods have to justify their investment.

I think we may have just founded a new religion here everyone. Forgot the Flying Spaghetti Monster I am down with the Grand Gamer In The Sky now.

Rykin wrote:

I think we may have just founded a new religion here everyone. Forgot the Flying Spaghetti Monster I am down with the Grand Gamer In The Sky now.

"God is a Gamer" would make a great bumper sticker.

Jonman wrote:
Rykin wrote:

I think we may have just founded a new religion here everyone. Forgot the Flying Spaghetti Monster I am down with the Grand Gamer In The Sky now.

"God is a Gamer" would make a great bumper sticker.

So, would you say that god plays dice?

Wink_and_the_Gun wrote:
Jonman wrote:
Rykin wrote:

I think we may have just founded a new religion here everyone. Forgot the Flying Spaghetti Monster I am down with the Grand Gamer In The Sky now.

"God is a Gamer" would make a great bumper sticker.

So, would you say that god plays dice?

He rolled natural 20s when he created me, pal.

Jonman wrote:
Wink_and_the_Gun wrote:
Jonman wrote:
Rykin wrote:

I think we may have just founded a new religion here everyone. Forgot the Flying Spaghetti Monster I am down with the Grand Gamer In The Sky now.

"God is a Gamer" would make a great bumper sticker.

So, would you say that god plays dice?

He rolled natural 20s when he created me, pal. :)

Too bad it was a roll-under system...

Montalban wrote:

Can you explain why "500 million years" ago? Just wondering why that number.

Completely arbitrary.

Also, I realize that this video game rendering hypothesis is anthropocentric in that it assumes I (and we humans) are special actors, instead of just part of the simulation. Technically speaking, the "player" is the Grand Gamer In The Sky that is playing our game, i.e. our Universe.

Whether or not humans are special actors or not depends entirely on what sort of simulation it is. If it was a "let's simulate one solar system decently well and see what happens on the planet we put in the Goldilocks zone" then, yeah, we're special actors. If it is "lets simulate a Big Bang and watch what happens to the entire Universe in excruciating detail" then we are no more special actors in that simulation than we would be if our Universe was not simulated.

As an employer, what resources am I able to provide for an employee whose child was likely molested at day care?

Please keep it clinical as I'm having a hard time not falling apart at the moment.

oilypenguin wrote:

As an employer, what resources am I able to provide for an employee whose child was likely molested at day care?

Please keep it clinical as I'm having a hard time not falling apart at the moment.

Not an expert, but off the top of my head...

Paid time off to deal with the aftermath is probably a big one.
Pay for access to councillors/therapists?
Pay for legal representation (if that's a path that they're going down).

Many corporate insurance policies include access to life coaching and mental health services. Having your HR person (or just giving them the information directly) to get them connected may open up more information about professional services available.

Just awful. So sorry.

Thank you. I’ve got HR running down resources for him. Child services are involved already. PTO isn’t a problem for now.

I’m just trying to engage with him but he’s spiraling something fierce right now. Being both permitted and willing to help but not being able to is something I am particularly bad at.

Does anyone know how much each federal exemption/withholding is worth? Pretty much, I want to get my tax refund down to as close to $0 as possible. I currently got back about $1.2K this year, and I am sitting at one exemption each for state and federal.

I'd like my money now instead of back from a free loan to Uncle Sam, and I can only find old data about past years.

Vrikk wrote:

Does anyone know how much each federal exemption/withholding is worth? Pretty much, I want to get my tax refund down to as close to $0 as possible. I currently got back about $1.2K this year, and I am sitting at one exemption each for state and federal.

I'd like my money now instead of back from a free loan to Uncle Sam, and I can only find old data about past years.

Honest answer - no.

But what I've done in the past is dial my exemptions way up so that my employer would withhold way less than I actually needed to pay my taxes. Then split my paycheck such that the amount that would have been withheld (plus a bit of a buffer) is diverted into an interest-bearing account.

So from the point of view of my current account, it looks exactly the same as when my employer was witholding, but instead, I'm loaning myself the withheld money instead of the Fed, and earning interest on it.

As I'm putting a bit of a buffer in there too, I usually end up getting a "refund" come tax time anyway.

Vrikk wrote:

Does anyone know how much each federal exemption/withholding is worth? Pretty much, I want to get my tax refund down to as close to $0 as possible. I currently got back about $1.2K this year, and I am sitting at one exemption each for state and federal.

I'd like my money now instead of back from a free loan to Uncle Sam, and I can only find old data about past years.

It all depends on how much you make. I used to only claim 1 and then I had to pay one year and since then I have claimed 0. You would probably need to talk to a CPA. I kind of like getting the big check every year. Nice to be able to buy something expensive I need (like a full set of new tires a couple of years ago) or be able to pay something off without needing to live off of ramen for the rest of the month.

Vrikk wrote:

Does anyone know how much each federal exemption/withholding is worth? Pretty much, I want to get my tax refund down to as close to $0 as possible. I currently got back about $1.2K this year, and I am sitting at one exemption each for state and federal.

I'd like my money now instead of back from a free loan to Uncle Sam, and I can only find old data about past years.

IRS Pub 15 was updated a couple weeks ago. The tables start on page 40-something.

Jonman wrote:
Vrikk wrote:

Does anyone know how much each federal exemption/withholding is worth? Pretty much, I want to get my tax refund down to as close to $0 as possible. I currently got back about $1.2K this year, and I am sitting at one exemption each for state and federal.

I'd like my money now instead of back from a free loan to Uncle Sam, and I can only find old data about past years.

Honest answer - no.

But what I've done in the past is dial my exemptions way up so that my employer would withhold way less than I actually needed to pay my taxes. Then split my paycheck such that the amount that would have been withheld (plus a bit of a buffer) is diverted into an interest-bearing account.

So from the point of view of my current account, it looks exactly the same as when my employer was witholding, but instead, I'm loaning myself the withheld money instead of the Fed, and earning interest on it.

As I'm putting a bit of a buffer in there too, I usually end up getting a "refund" come tax time anyway.

Shortchanging withholding and then owing a big bill to the IRS come tax time is a good way to pay penalties. Do not recommend.

carrotpanic wrote:
Jonman wrote:
Vrikk wrote:

Does anyone know how much each federal exemption/withholding is worth? Pretty much, I want to get my tax refund down to as close to $0 as possible. I currently got back about $1.2K this year, and I am sitting at one exemption each for state and federal.

I'd like my money now instead of back from a free loan to Uncle Sam, and I can only find old data about past years.

Honest answer - no.

But what I've done in the past is dial my exemptions way up so that my employer would withhold way less than I actually needed to pay my taxes. Then split my paycheck such that the amount that would have been withheld (plus a bit of a buffer) is diverted into an interest-bearing account.

So from the point of view of my current account, it looks exactly the same as when my employer was witholding, but instead, I'm loaning myself the withheld money instead of the Fed, and earning interest on it.

As I'm putting a bit of a buffer in there too, I usually end up getting a "refund" come tax time anyway.

Shortchanging withholding and then owing a big bill to the IRS come tax time is a good way to pay penalties. Do not recommend.

The entire point is not to shortchange it. It's to take the money that would have been withheld by your employer, and withold it yourself. Yes, it requires some financial discipline to not spend it, but given the original question, that's a given.