this post was submitted on 25 Oct 2024
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Curated Tumblr

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For preserving the least toxic and most culturally relevant Tumblr heritage posts.

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# This has been reposted here to Lemmy as part of the "Curated Tumblr Project."

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[–] [email protected] 96 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

What is up with the bird at the end?

[–] [email protected] 109 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (4 children)

A bot strips away all spaces and letters that aren't A, T, C or G, then treats the rest like a genetic sequence and checks it against some database.

Presumably, it runs through many terabytes of data for each comment, as the Gallinula chloropus alone has about 51 billion base pairs, or some 15 GiB. The Genome Ark DB, which has sequences of two common moorhens, contains over 1 PiB. I wonder if a bored sequencing lab employee just wrote it to give their database and computing servers something to do when there is no task running.

No, I won't download the genome and check how close the "closest match" is but statistically, 93 base pairs are expected to recur every 2^186^ bits or once per 10^40^ PiB. By evaluating the function (4-1)^m^ × mℂ93 ≥ 4^93^ ÷ (pebi × 8), one can expect the 93-base sequence to appear at least once in a 1 PiB database if m ≥ 32 mismatches or over ⅓ are allowed. Not great.

This assumes true randomness, which is not true of naturally occuring DNA nor letters in English text, but should be in the right ballpark. Maybe fewer if you account for insertions/deletions.

[–] sp3tr4l 70 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (2 children)

The FAQ on the user's page says:

  1. They are not a bot, just neurodivergent

  2. They're using BLAST

ie, this

https://blast.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Blast.cgi

They did not code anything beyond a very simple regex function that strips down posts to a t c g, and then they copy paste it into the above website, then copy paste the output.

Hell, you can see they aren't even removing apostrophes and quotes, not even forcing it to all lower case or all upper case, removing spaces and line breaks...

... as a former database admin/dev/analyst, I was losing my fucking mind at the notion that someone with direct access to a genomics DB, would just hook it up to tumblr, via an automated bot, and spam the db with non work related requests, all on their own, when they can barely modify a string correctly.

Thank fucking god this is just using a publicly available, no doubt extremely low fidelity, watered down search via an API.

... You need literal, state of the art, absurdly expensive, power hungry, and secure supercomputers to be able to do genomic comparisons.

Probably one of the dumbest things you could do, quickest way to get fired, and then never be able to work in the field again, would be for a random genomics lab worker who does not know how to code to open up a whole bunch of security holes and cost god knows how much money (and damage if you write bad code) running frivolous bs searches in their state of the art genomics db... for a tumblr bot.

[–] [email protected] 30 points 3 weeks ago (9 children)

Not a bot, just neuro

Hilarious every time.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Wow. Just wow. Someone is still using CGI.

[–] sp3tr4l 5 points 3 weeks ago

Wayback Machine's earliest capture is from 2008.

It's a cutesy, public facing, extremely limited and low fidelity 'demo version' of a genomic search, basically made as a PR / Science Education promotion gimmick... by government contracted web/backend devs, in 2008.

Honestly its a miracle its still functional at all.

[–] [email protected] 30 points 3 weeks ago

That's hilarious, but I needed the explanation too. Thanks!

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

The genomes have likely been indexed to make finding results faster. Google doesn't search the entire internet when you make a query :P

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 3 weeks ago

hellsitegenetics is a gimmick blog on tumblr that looks through popular posts on the website and tries to identify genetic sequences with in them and then post the creature that the genetic sequence corresponds to.

They're a bit like haiku bot, which scans posts to see if they're haikus and then formats the haiku and posts it, but i think hellsitegenetics is an actual person cuz they have talked about it in the past

[–] [email protected] 87 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

Implied fact: a baby is capable of having a religion, despite its inability to comprehend the concept.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 3 weeks ago

7th implication: Religion is genetic

[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Implied fact: by distinguishing the baby as Christian, there must be non-Christian babies in close proximity.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Actual Implication: You're supposed to care more about the Christian baby than a non-Christian babies.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Unintended Implication: non-Christian babies are less likely to be hurled.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I mean, Jewish boys go through a ritual to mark them as part of the religion and christening occurs early too, so I would say that religious people usually assume the baby's religion.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Non-jewish boys often go through the same ritual, even in a jew-hating religion, because of "tradition".

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[–] [email protected] 80 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

7th implied fact: the baby's religion somehow plays a role in your deciding whether or not to hit it with a bat.

[–] [email protected] 46 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Eigth implied fact: The baby is durable enough to be hit by a baseball bat hard enough to fling it out of the stadium, and remain in one piece.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I don't see that implication

[–] [email protected] 16 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

The baby is hardly going to make it out of the stadium if it splashes on impact.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Maybe not all, but individual parts should be far more aerodynamic!

[–] [email protected] 19 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

Are there rules for that in baseball? If the ball breaks up I assume there's no play and they do over.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Got bored and looked it up, and there aren't, surprisingly. At least not in the 2019 revision of the Major League Baseball rules. But they do define what a ball is, and isn't, and a baby is not considered a valid ball (3.01).

But at least according to Rule 5.01(c)(1), if part of the baby gets on the batter, they might be considered "hit by pitch", and therefore eligible to advance to first base. (It would be considered a 'dead' ball, which is funny, given the context.)

The rules aren't written expecting the ball to break into bits upon impact, so it'd depend on it actually happening to get precedent.

But at least going by 4.01(a,e), it's the umpire's fault for providing an invalid "ball", and they might have to clean up, since they're tasked with replacing the "ball" if damaged.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

I would assume the baby's head is what counts as the ball, here. If it detaches in a large piece and leaves the stadium, it should likely count.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago

Do they have spare Christian babies on hand though?

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[–] stoy 73 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

So what OOP is saying with their question is that the important attribute about that baby is that it is christian.

Meanwhile to a sane person, the important attribute about the baby is that it is a fucking baby flying through the fucking air!

[–] [email protected] 51 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

If its a budhist baby I'm putting that little shit out of the park. He will be reincarnated, my conscience is clear. /s

[–] stoy 10 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
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[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 weeks ago

But to be a Christian baby it must already be baptized and will therefore go to heaven instead of fucking around with reincarnation until it manages to not be a bad person and go to Nirvana.

[–] [email protected] 48 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

broke: i'm not gay but $20 is $20

woke: i'm not an atheist but millions of dollars is millions of dollars

[–] [email protected] 19 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Also, using babies instead of balls would make the game a lot less boring.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

And you'll get really intense chants, which as far as I understand it's a huge reason to go to live stadiums. Especially from the opposing team which in this case would be the thousands of protestors outside who would inevitably be very much against this whole thing.

Inside the stadium, while yes – technically there's a separation of two teams – they're both there because they want to see baby homeruns. They're all on the baby-batting team.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 weeks ago

Those babies are already born so the "save the babies" crowd won't care.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 3 weeks ago

If it's a muslim baby it's totally OK to bat at it, of course.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 3 weeks ago

Well, if a pitcher pitches a baby, the baby is likely dead regardless if it's going to make it all the way to the batter. Whether the impact with your bat or the catcher's mitt is what ultimately causes the baby to die seems to me to be an unimportant detail.

That said, since the baby is entirely unaerodynamic, it's going to move a lot more slowly than a regular baseball, meaning there's a chance you could save the baby by bunting (especially if you avoid the head), and if you assume the catcher has an ounce of humanity, they'll probably be more concerned with checking on the baby rather than tagging the runner coming from third or throwing you out at first base.

So here are the options as I see it:

  1. bunt
  2. hit it hard - nobody is going to catch a mangled baby
  3. refuse and take the L - irrational since the baby is a goner regardless

I'd go with 1, it's the most humane, and probably no less likely to succeed vs 2.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

i like that all you needed was a hit to win but when you see the christian baby, you shift to a home run stance.

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[–] [email protected] 21 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

What kind of Christian baby? If it's Pentecostal I'll hit it out of the park, but a New Southern Reform Anabaptist baby? No way!

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I love that there is also the distinct possibility of non-Christian babies up there on the mound, with the pitcher as well.

What happens if the pitcher throws a baby of a different faith? Infield fly rule that leads to a game ending double play?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Some baseball scholars consider any contact between the bat and a Hindu, Sikh or Buddhist baby to be foul bunt, and therfore an automatic strike. A Scientologist, Church of Latter Day Saints or Jehova's Witness baby on the other hand is considered a fair ball unless caught in flight with runners on first, first and second, first and third, or bases loaded (with less than two out).

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

another implied fact: the pitcher MEANT to throw a baby, they just didn't mean to throw a CHRISTIAN baby

[–] [email protected] 17 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

There's actually no evidence the pitcher was ever using a ball. And based off all the information provided it seems likely the pitcher has been throwing babies the entire game!

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 weeks ago

It's also never mentioned it's a baseball game. It says you're a baseball player, that's it.

Eigth implied fact : this is truly a game of basebaby (christian league), in which the standard accessory is a strictly regulated baby. It's a license game, Smokey

[–] [email protected] 16 points 3 weeks ago

I’d smash that baby out the park. One way ticket to see Jesus.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 weeks ago

Wait, what? You guys play baseball with christian babies too? No way! I thought we made that up in our neighborhood. Cool!!

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

I think even the best pitchers would struggle to throw a floppy baby 60 1/2 feet into the strike zone.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 weeks ago

Easy homerun.

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