Mathematics, Philosophy, and the Lamentations of the Women

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by GuardianAngel82, Mar 22, 2008.

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  1. rbc

    rbc Shoggoth

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    Re: Patching out of program files

    Sorry, yes; "over" meaning divided by, referring to numerator above denominator. I had never even thought about the standard English meaning of "over time". Ahh, math jargon. Don't even get me started on all the different ways to be simultaneously open and closed, or that normal never means usual. ;)

    Yeah, it works for me, too. I dropped out of grad school just before getting my PhD in particle physics. Now I'm a defense contractor. Contrary to "Good Will Hunting", the NSA does not have people working on superstring theory, so I'm out of luck there. On the other hand, proper GPS timing does require a working knowledge of general relativity. :)
     
  2. GuardianAngel82

    GuardianAngel82 Senior Member

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    Re: Patching out of program files

    The "jargon" in math is still imprecise.

    Open/closed is, of course, conditional. Often, the point is to get you to consider the conditions.

    If you think all this is fun, imagine trying to teach this kind of thinking to a bunch of liberal arts majors without chasing them all back to heroin addictions and permanent jobs at Starbuck's. Was that cruel? My life would be less fun without them. I hope to go to a kalimba concert (Craig Winters) with a hottie (Chau, a salon stylist who makes twice as much money a year as me) tonight.

    General Relativity? Is somebody's GPS more accurate than that which is available to civilians? My terrorist associates are intrigued. (Warning: I myself teach Al' Jibbra and been caught with implements of MATH INSTRUCTION.)
     
  3. Lord Plothos

    Lord Plothos Established Member

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    Re: Patching out of program files

    *cocks shotgun and spits*
    Well lookee here, Lucius. We got ourselves a gen-u-ine sand monkey.





    Edit: sorry, couldn't resist. Please, nobody be offended. :eek:mg: I'm mocking the haters, kay?
     
  4. GuardianAngel82

    GuardianAngel82 Senior Member

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    Re: Patching out of program files

     
  5. rbc

    rbc Shoggoth

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    Re: Patching out of program files

    Well, sure. To mathematicians, this is obvious. The empty set, for example, is open and closed in every topology. The integers are closed topologically as a subset of the real numbers as a metric space, but not closed algebraically under division. Everyone else thinks we're insane. :)

    I tried my hand at that, one (or thrice) upon a time. Teaching algebraic topology (Euler's characteristic, F-E+V=2-2g) to fourth-graders went much more smoothly than teaching intro algebra to ninth-graders. Now I only see students when judging science fairs.

    Standard civilian GPS has always required GR. "Moving clocks run slow", as the saying goes, so the spacecraft clocks are designed such that on the ground, they are exactly faster enough than other ground-based clocks that once they are in orbit, they slow down into synchrony. Your car's ability to guide you to your destination consitutes experimental proof that Einstein's gravity is more accurate than Newton's -- if you know ow to interpret it.

    At this point, most of this thread should now be moved off into general discussion, Mr. Moderator if you are listening. :)
     
  6. Half Knight

    Half Knight Gibbering Mouther

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    Re: Patching out of program files

    Bunch of nerds! :giggle:

    I found partys boring:

    -I get drunk, but i don't puke.
    -I don't care a s#!+ if i humiliate myself.
    -I get a good amount of :pelvicthr but noone gets pregnant.

    I suppose, that takes out the fun of a party. :p
     
  7. rbc

    rbc Shoggoth

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    Re: Patching out of program files

    Well, yeah. I'm 34 and I still play D&D. :)
     
  8. GuardianAngel82

    GuardianAngel82 Senior Member

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    Re: Patching out of program files

    -You are not drunk enough (makes room for more)
    -If you don't give a s***, then it's not humiliation (still not drunk enough)
    -I still (happily) remember being told in the parking lot of an old (bad) job by my (then) ex-wife that she was pregnant with triplets (definitely not drunk enough)
    -She lost them, but refused a d&c - the one that stayed is now 17, a D&D freak AND named Ted! And 6 foot tall, 165 lbs, on the wrestling team, an Eagle Scout AND a nerd.
     
    Last edited: Apr 11, 2008
  9. Lord_Spike

    Lord_Spike Senior Member Veteran

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    Re: Patching out of program files

    A wise man once said the movie should have been titled Irving the Barbarian because it was absolutely nothing like the character of Conan portrayed in fiction by Robert E. Howard. He then released his rules for the barbarian character class for the First Edition of AD&D. I don't know if you'd read his works or not, but the creation of REH is well worth the effort of discovering for its own sake beyond those movies.
     
  10. sirchet

    sirchet Force for Goodness Moderator Supporter

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    Re: Patching out of program files

    Here Here! I couldn't agree more.
     
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