GeekNights 20110509 - Memory

MrPeriod

Tonight on GeekNights, tired of complaints about "wasted" RAM, we talk about memory. Fiddleheads aside, we consider whether wireless really is that important to business, and the pwning of Chrome.

• Scott's Thing - Star Trek: 1979
• Rym's Thing - Greatest Movie Sandwiches

Download MP3

Rym

For the record, I thought Scott was going to trap me with SRAM versus DRAM. ;^)

Coldguy

Vitamitavegin is still common knowledge it is not brought up unless you are a fan of comedy, rest assured some things will leave on.

Rochelle

Scott you should watch Star Trek: The Next Generation. It's pretty much what Rym said that it's sci-fi with serious, ethical, and scientific questions. Also there isn't a lot of space battles and I thought it would be, but more exploration of new worlds and exploration of relationships among the characters.

Also, no, they cannot talk to Earth in real time.

And I don't think many people born post 1995 will recognize Vitameatavegamin, possibly born earlier.

lackofcheese

I had no idea what Vitameatavegamin was, probably more due to not being American rather than due to my age.
I wonder how Rym wanted to add numbers without transistors, though. Vacuum tubes?

Churba

I wonder how Rym wanted to add numbers without transistors, though. Vacuum tubes?

Really good show, lads, very enjoyable to listen to.

GreyHuge

I had no idea what Vitameatavegamin was, probably more due to not being American rather than due to my age.
I wonder how Rym wanted to add numbers without transistors, though. Vacuum tubes?

I did not listen to the episode, but I do know that you can make logic gates with transistors, and that you can also make a binary adder out of logic gates. I did it once over the summer, unfortunately I was not able to get it to work beyond adding single bits. Somewhere between adding two one bit integers and two two bit integers I was missing a connection or losing power or something.

Rym

I wonder how Rym wanted to add numbers without transistors, though. Vacuum tubes?

You can make logic gates with wires and relays.

lackofcheese

I wonder how Rym wanted to add numbers without transistors, though. Vacuum tubes?

You can make logic gates with wires and relays.

That's along the same lines as the vacuum tube; it would be silly compared to using transistors.

Rym

That's along the same lines as the vacuum tube; it would be silly compared to using transistors.

I didn't say it wouldn't be. The point is that it's possible. Most low-level introductory computer logic classes have you making transistorless circuits as a learning exercise. It's good to know the direct analog, as this understanding underlies the power of the transistor.

Dromaro

Xefas

In the middle of listening. Just felt like pointing out that a cheesecake is neither a pie nor a cake. It is a baked custard (or, in the case of a no-bake cheesecake, just a "custard"). For something to be a pie, it has to be in a pie crust (like a quiche), and for something to be a cake, it has to be made from a batter.

Churba

In the middle of listening. Just felt like pointing out that a cheesecake is neither a pie nor a cake. It is a baked custard (or, in the case of a no-bake cheesecake, just a "custard"). For something to be a pie, it has to be in a pie crust (like a quiche), and for something to be a cake, it has to be made from a batter.

I wouldn't think so, considering a custard is cream or milk and egg based, whereas a cheesecake is Cheese based. Well, Biscuit, sponge or pastry based, really, but the cakey kinda bit is cheese based. However, a Quiche is a Custard - a Savory Custard Tart, to be specific.

WindUpBird

I hereby proclaim Xefas "Iron Chef FRCF."

In the middle of listening. Just felt like pointing out that a cheesecake is neither a pie nor a cake. It is a baked custard (or, in the case of a no-bake cheesecake, just a "custard"). For something to be a pie, it has to be in a pie crust (like a quiche), and for something to be a cake, it has to be made from a batter.

I wouldn't think so, considering a custard is cream or milk and egg based, whereas a cheesecake is Cheese based. Well, Biscuit, sponge or pastry based, really, but the cakey kinda bit is cheese based. However, a Quiche is a Custard - a Savory Custard Tart, to be specific.

He's attending culinary school, Churbs.

Churba

He's attending culinary school, Churbs.

Yeah, thus why I said I wouldn't think so, rather than this is not the case. I suspect he will inform me shortly that I'm thinking incorrectly, and provide a description.

Xefas

A custard is specifically a liquid that is thickened with egg, which cheesecakes are.

For all practical purposes, a quiche is both a pie and a custard (a "tart" is a kind of pie - specifically one without the top layer of crust). However, non-practically, a quiche is primarily designated as a pie because the custard portion is a sub-component of the finished quiche, rather than, say, a cheesecake, where the whole finished component is one big custard.

However, I'll finish by saying that I can think of exactly zero situations where this subtle difference in quiche naming convention would actually matter, even to a professional baker.

Funfetus

A custard is specifically a liquid that is thickened with egg, which cheesecakes are.

So, my girlfriend makes a vegan "cheesecake", which is not thickened with egg. Is that still a custard?

WindUpBird

A custard is specifically a liquid that is thickened with egg, which cheesecakes are.

So, my girlfriend makes a vegan "cheesecake", which is not thickened with egg. Is that still a custard?

I think it would then be a tart.

Xefas

So, my girlfriend makes a vegan "cheesecake", which is not thickened with egg. Is that still a custard?

Technically, no. Although, if you're going "vegan", I don't think you can really even get in the ballpark vicinity of "cheesecake", what with no dairy products.

Churba

A custard is specifically a liquid that is thickened with egg, which cheesecakes are.

For all practical purposes, a quiche is both a pie and a custard (a "tart" is a kind of pie - specifically one without the top layer of crust). However, non-practically, a quiche is primarily designated as a pie because the custard portion is a sub-component of the finished quiche, rather than, say, a cheesecake, where the whole finished component is one big custard.

However, I'll finish by saying that I can think of exactly zero situations where this subtle difference in quiche naming convention would actually matter, even to a professional baker.

Well, that makes perfect sense.

Xefas

But I'm sure your taste is much too discriminating for that.

In all seriousness, if someone came up to me and said "Here is this vegan cheesecake I made with no eggs or dairy products.", I would say "Cool, that is clearly a cheesecake, may I have some, because I like cheesecake?". If they then asked "Based on your culinary education, would you technically designate this as a "cheesecake", insofar as the information that you were taught?", I would say "No". Not because I think it's somehow lesser or inferior, but because, independent of colloquial meaning, I've been taught a specific semantic designation for what is technically a "cheesecake". I'm sorry if it came off that way.

Funfetus

I'm sorry if it came off that way.

I'm sorry for taking it that way. After eight years, I'm a little touchy about the subject. You'd be amazed at the naked hostility and rudeness of many people when it comes up. I did think better of it and remove my post, but apparently you were already replying. Sorry.

Xefas

I'm sorry for taking it that way. After eight years, I'm a little touchy about the subject. You'd be amazed at the naked hostility and rudeness of many people when it comes up. I did think better of it and remove my post, but apparently you were already replying. Sorry.

Oh, yeah, sorry! I have this problem of clicking reply, and then getting distracted (I'm listening through a backlog of missed podcasts, and playing Desktopdungeons at the moment while I install Mount and Blade), so I guess I should've checked first. ^_^;;

But, I've actually had a few classes on ovo-lacto vegetarian cooking, and one specifically on vegan. I have to admit they gave me a lot of trouble, since breaking the meat-centric mindset that's been ingrained in me since birth was no easy feat, but I have no bigoted or condescending feelings towards vegetarians or vegans. I also don't fault you for assuming I did, because I've met a lot of that negative sentiment within my field.

WindUpBird

I've never had a problem with veganism, and one of my best friends is vegan, but I'm find myself relying on it more and more to find ways to stay nourished while doing three-day backpacking trips and maintaining an ultralight base weight without attracting bears. Interesting grain/legume preparations abound!

Funfetus

Interesting grain/legume preparations abound!

Interesting. That's stuff you cook on the trail, or what? I can see how that would be handy.

WindUpBird

Yeah. Lots of oatmeal stuff. Anything that's compact and lightweight but still delivers 3000+ calories and is balanced. Tsampa without butter (which makes it both vegan and not attractive to bears) is a concept I've been toying with, as well as bean stews and GABA rice dishes. Moose goo is also incredibly caloric, healthy, and vegan -- a must for the trail.

The trade-off is always that the weight of the stuff necessary to catch meat, or the weight of hauling meat, is not worth the taste, and certainly not the calories, when the ultralight backpacker can get those nutrients elsewhere. On normal-weight treks, or if I was hiking with a second person, I'd probably bring an ammo box for a box stove and some fly-fishing gear to have a good tuck-in by a stream before bed. But for ultralight stuff, vegan food is definitely the way to go, it seems.

I'll report back once I've actually tried that stuff; the summer's just starting and I still have more kit to assemble before my first trip out. Should be interesting.

Funfetus

I've never heard of any of the food you mention. Ultralight backpacking sounds like some serious shit.

My girlfriend told me about some ultralight hikers she met on the Appalachian trail. Everything was super high tech, ultralight, some of it custom made -- except for their double-chambered Graffix bong.