Comments for Christopher Olah's Blog

Comment on How My Neural Net Sees Blackboards by colah

colah — Tue, 14 May 2013 02:01:26 +0000

Ack! Thanks for catching that, Rod!

Also, Michael, you didn’t see that.

Comment on How My Neural Net Sees Blackboards by Rod Carvalho

Rod Carvalho — Mon, 13 May 2013 23:33:19 +0000

Typo: Michael Nielson -> Michael Nielsen

Comment on Manipulation of Implicit Functions (With an Eye on CAD) by independentindustries

independentindustries — Tue, 07 May 2013 02:34:51 +0000

In short, I’m trying to build a tool set for myself so that I can quickly go from a conception of what I want to printing it. I’m mathematically inclined so implicit functions are the easiest way for me to do that.

Comment on Manipulation of Implicit Functions (With an Eye on CAD) by independentindustries

independentindustries — Tue, 07 May 2013 02:29:40 +0000

Thinking in terms of implicit functions is a powerful way to describe objects as you’ve pointed out. I make stuff, sometimes useful stuff, like generators, turbines and heat engines. Sometimes artistic stuff, like a wavy tree. One easy way to make a wavy tree is to make a regular tree and then do a coordinate transformation on each of the parts. I want to do stuff like that and implicit functions give me the flexibility I need.

Comment on Manipulation of Implicit Functions (With an Eye on CAD) by colah

colah — Tue, 07 May 2013 01:59:15 +0000

I haven't got anything perfect. But one can do a lot just by looking at the gradient of the function and doing certain subdivisions. All the source code for ImplicitCAD is open source. You might look at the rendering code. What are you doing this for?

Comment on Manipulation of Implicit Functions (With an Eye on CAD) by independentindustries

independentindustries — Tue, 07 May 2013 01:44:09 +0000

Awesome, I was already doing things this way but haven’t figured out how to do the triangulation using the oracle function. That is, I can triangulate, but when there are sharp edges, like if I subtracted a cylinder from a sphere, my triangulation algorithm makes a choppy edge. Would you have any advice?

Comment on Misunderstanding Romantic Attraction by happyseaurchin

happyseaurchin — Fri, 03 May 2013 16:59:19 +0000

Be brave, is all I can say about romantic relationships. We can talk about, but really, one’s own existential experience is paramount.

Keep sharing too, it is interesting to read your perspective.

I’ve had a good time of it mostly throughout my life, and only twice had over-running hardship. Part of the deal of taking the risk. Which leads me to the following observation of your writing.

One thing your writing here seems to bely, and correct me if I am wrong since you are capable of making remarkable intellectual leaps, but there is something of a leap that is required. One can not incrementally creep up to a certain kind of love. It is not like an argument that one follows to reach a conclusion. It is more like a conclusion that arrives perfectly formed, and then one has to go about reasoning why it makes sense. It is like the situation where a rock-climber faces a gap which is beyond their ability to stretch to, and thus a leap is required, an all or nothing affair. Actually, it is rather like the leap of faith that lies at the foundation of religious experience. That is, to trust the other without any way of returning.

And so, there is an aspect of this attraction which is rather dangerous, but you will discover this when it happens. Making sense of it, making it work, finding depths to you you did not know you had, this is the wonder of it.

Comment on Observation vs Authority by Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 04:44:04 +0000

I think what is important here is what is ‘more likely’. That is not to say that events cannot violate the laws we use to describe the universe. The problem of induction clearly highlights that current science may have incomplete, wrong or inaccurate descriptions of the universe. If indeed observation repeatedly contradicts the current descriptions science has, the description should change. The problem here lies in the ability to deduce that natural laws have indeed been violated. It does not follow that miracles can be proven given that the natural laws we know are the ones we use to prove natural phenomena. Unless it is the case which natural law already encompasses the anomaly. In which case if the event is described as a ‘miracle’ it would be synonymous with ‘rare’.

Comment on Mandelbrot Set on the Riemann Sphere by happyseaurchin

happyseaurchin — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 19:16:10 +0000

have to say, it still doesn’t look how i imagined it… i guess there are lots of ways of doing it…

Comment on Mandelbrot Set on the Riemann Sphere by happyseaurchin

happyseaurchin — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 19:14:17 +0000

put in another search on google and this page pops up again… i remember asking you if it was possible and i thought this was your answer for a moment… any progress on seeing this in ’3d’?