Dec 11, 2004
asisaid challenge: Question Set #3
By Timothy R Butler | Posted at 4:48 PM
1.) Here is a tough one, but one that fits into the puzzle of this blog… somehow. Who wrote it? [15 pts] Suppose then that we are in doubt as to what someone who gives vent to an utterance is asserting, or suppose that, more radically, we are sceptical as to whether he is really asserting anything at all, one way of trying to understand (or perhaps to expose) his utterance is to attempt to find what he would regard as counting against, or as being incompatible with, its truth. For if the utterance is indeed an assertion, it will necessarily be equivalent to a denial of the negation of the assertion. And anything which would count against the assertion, or which would induce the speaker to withdraw it and to admit that it had been mistaken, must be part of (or the whole of) the meaning of the negation of that assertion. And to know the meaning of the negation of an assertion, is as near as makes no matter, to know the meaning of that assertion. And if there is nothing which a putative assertion denies then there is nothing which it asserts either: and so it is not really an assertion. When the Sceptic in the parable asked the Believer, “Just how does what you call an invisible, intangible, eternally elusive gardener differ from an imaginary gardener or even from no gardener at all?” he was suggesting that the Believer's earlier statement had been so eroded by qualification that it was no longer an assertion at all.DISCLAIMER: I do not agree with the above statement, at least in its original context and the point it tries to make.
2.) How was the term UNIX originally spelled and what did it serve as an acronym for? [5 pts.]
3.) Where did this quote come from (Hint: it is only a few years old)? The final quote had more than one person involved in “preparing it” for public consumption — if you can name more than one, you'll get 5 extra points, if you can name all three of the best answers, I'll give you 10 extra points. [20 pts.]Speaking to the atmosphere No one's here and I fall into myself
[…]
Servatis a pereculum.
Servatis a maleficum
Remember, no web search engines (other than for searching only this site, using site:asisaid.com in the query), but you can use other web resources, if you wish to really seek out this answer (as Jason is trying to do with Question #1.2).
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RE: asisaid challenge: Question Set #3
I’ll share a hint for #1: I’ve read it in the past 3 months. I don’t remember what I read it in, but I know I read it.
2: TIM: Totally Intelligent Machine
For #3, There’s an Evanescence song that ends with “servatis a pereculum. servatis a maleficum.” The first part of the quote sounds like something that could come from them, so I’ll make that my guess.
RE: asisaid challenge: Question Set #3
1.) That doesn’t surprise me. FWIW, I’ve run into it in two separate books in the last year. Now figure out what I’ve mentioned in the last month on this blog that might have referred to it, and you’ll have it made.
2.) Hmm… I like that one! Thanks!
Seriously, though, if that acronym has anything to do with UNIX, you probably went back to far.
3.) Bingo! Evanescence it is — I thought that would be a hard one (I wasn’t sure if there were any Evanescence listeners on this blog). Now, the rest is easy, you have one of the three names down (the band).. leaving just two and the title. 20 pts. for Kevin.
RE: asisaid challenge: Question Set #3
Your quote comes from someone rather intellectual, but a poor communicator of such ideas. Thus, it’s not like the Francis Schaeffer I’ve read, nor C.S. Lewis (having read piles of each). Most of my other reading in that field was long ago.
Unics was a response to Multics, but I can’t recall the meaning of the acronym.
As I said before, I really don’t care about the points.
RE: asisaid challenge: Question Set #3
Well, Ed, my disclaimer is the biggest hint concerning this.
C.S. Lewis would not need such a disclaimer… even if he had written something like this.
Good job on #2. So you don’t want the points?
RE: asisaid challenge: Question Set #3
1) I’m hoping I come across it in my studies for finals, Tuesday.
3) I’m not a huge fan, but I have one Evanesence album. You’ve mentioned them before and it sounded like something they would sing. Turns out the one album I have is the right one. The lyrics you pulled are from “Whisper” on the “Fallen” album. I assume Amy was involved in writing the song, but I don’t have my album cover with me to look it up. I’ll guess Amy Lee & Ben Moody.
RE: asisaid challenge: Question Set #3
Talk about smacking me in the face. The answer to #1 is found in a post still on the front page of your blog, isn’t it? I can’t believe I flew right past the obvious.
RE: asisaid challenge: Question Set #3
As Ed said, Unix was a follow-up to Multics, but I’m not sure how alike they are. Can’t remember the exact meaning, but I think “multics” is short for Multiplexed Information and Computing (something I can’t remember, “Server” or “Service”, I think).
RE: asisaid challenge: Question Set #3
Tim, you can do as you wish with points. It’s your blog, and I don’t want to play games trying to cadge points. Award them as you see fit. I just wanted to make clear that’s not my motive for trying to answer; I like the mental stimulation, even if I miss the obvious (your quote). Not catching the source is a simple matter of how my brain works — Adult ADD makes me uncompetitive in certain types of brain games.
RE: asisaid challenge: Question Set #3
BTW, good pun. I was really surprised no one got it right away after I had posted about Flew just the other day — I expected a wild guess or something.
Flip: That is correct.
Ed: So long as your enjoying, that’s the main thing. I’m finding the challenge of asking questions that can be linked to my blog without being too obvious rather fun.
RE: asisaid challenge: Question Set #3
The quote from Flew sounded like something I would have read in one of my classes, but I didn’t find it in my studying. Where I read it was searching for info about Flew after I saw him mentioned here and a few other places.
Maybe you haven’t mentioned evanescence here, but I’m sure you’ve mentioned it somewhere. Or, maybe the connection I made between you and them was entirely random.
I, too, like the mental stimulation. I’ll stop answering if I ever get near the winning mark, though. The last thing I need to win is a domain and webhosting.
RE: asisaid challenge: Question Set #3
If I haven’t blogged about Evanesence, I ought to resolve to now, that way it isn’t a random connection.
You have a point about the domain name, particularly. If you won it, I’d have to change my blogroll entry for you again.