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Subject: Re: The Most Stupid Questions are the Best

Author: gerold daniels

Date: 15:57:30 02/06/06

Go up one level in this thread


On February 06, 2006 at 17:02:14, Robert Hyatt wrote:

>On February 06, 2006 at 16:40:46, Rolf Tueschen wrote:
>
>>On February 06, 2006 at 16:25:59, Dann Corbit wrote:
>>
>>>On February 06, 2006 at 16:11:47, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>>
>>>>On February 06, 2006 at 16:08:08, Rolf Tueschen wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>On February 06, 2006 at 11:55:28, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I see it is your intention to go down the _same_ road you have gone down many
>>>>>>times previously...  that is, arguing about a point that you have zero
>>>>>>understanding of.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Do one of the two following things:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>(1) set up a position with any program you choose.  Crafty will certainly be ok
>>>>>>for this.  set the search depth to something that takes about 2 minutes total
>>>>>>time.  Run the position with the default hash, and write down the time required
>>>>>>to finish that search.  Double the hash and repeat.  Double and repeat.
>>>>>>Continue doubling until the search time no longer decreases.  Note that you
>>>>>>should use a normal middlegame position here, not a tactical position, not an
>>>>>>endgame position, as those magnify the problem and the typical case is more
>>>>>>important.  Look at the search times you got, and then decide whether more hash
>>>>>>is trash, or whether more hash lets the program complete the same search in less
>>>>>>time, making it faster.  Once you do this, you won't make such statements again.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>(2) simply shut up about this since you do _not_ know what you are talking
>>>>>>about.  If you do (1) above, you will actually learn something important.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>Bob,
>>>>>
>>>>>in my opinion there are no stupid questions, because often the most stupidly
>>>>>looking allow the best answers.
>>>
>>>"There are no stupid questions.  Just stupid people asking questions." -- Chris
>>>Berman
>>>
>>>Actually, I don't think any of Chan's questions are stupid, the first or second
>>>time that they are asked.  But after they have been clearly and paitiently
>>>explained for the tenth time, we must at least classify them as 'rather dim'.
>>>IMO-YMMV.
>>>
>>>I have seen Chandler learn.  But he often quickly forgets.  I'm not sure if it
>>>is intentional or not.
>>
>>What I was trying to explain is an aspect, that exists only in very specific
>>situations. Someone who doesnt really think on his own cant go wrong so far.
>>Someone not so experienced and old-aged wouldnt have the stamina to oppose such
>>a fire. I would advise us to repect Chan's dignity as a human being with still a
>>high motivation to enjoy CC in both groups. - I am convinced that Chan isnt the
>>most stupid member who's asking the wrong questions. What I would like to show
>>guys like you: even in science we had people with completely false theories and
>>assumptions. I see Chan this way: his only fault is that he has no fear to be
>>judged wrong or as a weak thinker. But in fact this is what we wanted to teach
>>our youth because it shows the best of what we have, our particular
>>individuality. We shouldnt focus such people with our hate...
>>
>>
>
>
>
>There is much more to this story than is known here.  For example, he's claimed
>that some of his posts are the result of drinking too much.  Certainly
>believable.  He's also claimed to be 72 years old in addition to being drunk at
>times.  I think he's a young kid myself...
>
Hello Bob. Chandler will be happy to hear that he is a young kid. :)

Gerold.
>
>
>
>>>
>>>>Here it seems to me as if you two are talking
>>>>>about different topics. Without a doubt you know the facts and the whole science
>>>>>of computerchess and also of a technical question like the one about hash size.
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>I wouldn't disagree with the above at all.  However, there is more.  Any
>>>>question ought to be "askable".  But once answered, with factual information, by
>>>>someone that is familiar with the subject, that should be "that" unless
>>>>additional clarification is needed.  But in this case, it is just a "is too..."
>>>>"is not..." sort of discussion.  Chandler can't even read and follow a very
>>>>specific experiment, asking me to post data that was already in the description,
>>>>and then telling me my conclusion of XXX was wrong when I didn't have any such
>>>>conclusion (about NPS).
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>IMO we shouldn't argue as if only sound questions could be allowed and that you
>>>>>control what is sound and what is not. I am convinced that we must consider the
>>>>>different starting points and also the intelligence of our members. You can't
>>>>>want to think that all those who follow your definitions are "good guys" and all
>>>>>who publish their possibly wrong ideas are the "bad guys". Because this way you
>>>>>would be misleaden about the true reasons of the motivation to believe you. You
>>>>>would miss that many could believe you for the wrong and misunderstood reasons,
>>>>>which couldnt be your vision of the top goal of a good teacher. In fact I would
>>>>>say that a good teacher must pay someone who then played the advocat of the
>>>>>devil by talking about seemingly correct but in truth false theories. You as a
>>>>>teacher had then a good chance to teach your audience, because in real many of
>>>>>the silent majority had these same false assumptions the devil's advocat were
>>>>>presenting. - In short: Where do you see the problem? That the level of quality
>>>>>would be decreased by such debates? Here I would see the opposite. A neutral
>>>>>observer would see how engaged you grasped the least idea to explain what is
>>>>>important for your field.
>>>>>
>>>>>Often anxious members seem to think that it's always evil if someone who doesnt
>>>>>know things like you do, Bob, asks simple questions. Because the danger is
>>>>>always stirring up confusion. This is IMO a completely false understanding of
>>>>>the process of learning things. I would also say that without mistakes we can't
>>>>>really learn something.
>>>>>
>>>>>Here actually Chandler, who's certainly a very independent thinker, also a bit
>>>>>older, certainly not willing by nature to digest what experts like you are
>>>>>saying. It's not the optimal situation for you as a teacher, but if you keep
>>>>>your calm you had an optimal chance to clarify things. Because until the proof
>>>>>of the contrary I take for granted that Chan isnt evil and doesnt intentiously
>>>>>twist things he knows better. If he says something wrong in your eyes, then it's
>>>>>because he thinks it thois way. And your task could be to show him why he must
>>>>>be wrong. But if you two are talking about different topics then the debate is
>>>>>about power in the end and not science.
>>>>>
>>>>>More than once Chan clarified that he is talking about the game of chess seen
>>>>>from human chessplayers. And I understood him as if he wanted to say that more
>>>>>and more hash cant prevent that machines/programs are busted by chess-in-born
>>>>>concretness of positions which could be foreseen by the human chessplayers and
>>>>>NOT by machines no matter with how much hash. - I agree with you that this is a
>>>>>completely different topic than the one you had in mind with your scientific
>>>>>result of experiments with the decrease of search time with more hash - up to a
>>>>>certain maximal point. - Sure in science at your seminary you would just
>>>>>conclude "missed topic". But here why not doing Chan the favor of explaining why
>>>>>he's completely off-topic, but that his topic is not completely uninteresting. I
>>>>>am convinced that such a forum here would profit from people like Chan if you as
>>>>>big expert and all your collegues could tolerate people like Chandler who does
>>>>>also enjoy CC - but from a different perspective. Intentiously or unconsciously
>>>>>being the devil's advocat.
>>>>>
>>>>>NB that I'm not a clairvoyant. I dont know what Chandler really is thinking and
>>>>>IF that is really of help for a specific topic, but I know you as the expert who
>>>>>does never suppress questions. Or is your understanding from a native speaker
>>>>>that you know that here with Chan something isnt working ok? Then say your
>>>>>reasons but please dont threaten the poor guy for his perhaps wrong ideas.
>>>>>Please. - I have no reasons to oppose a direct deletion of this message after
>>>>>you've read it and directly concluded that it wouldnt be helpful. Perhaps I'm
>>>>>missing the key point of the debate. But then it's because I'm not a native
>>>>>speaker...
>>>>>
>>>>>What I know for sure here is that nobody should be insulted by advising him to
>>>>>stop his medication or such things. I fear this way things get out of control.
>>>>>
>>>>>Rolf



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