Free Association Thread 3

[SamScribble]

Course we could also discuss those "portable" VCR units they sold in the early 80's also. They were only "portable" in the sense they were roughly the same size as two briefcases. I was making too much money and actually plopped down something like $1200 for one...but hey, it came with a wired remote and you could program it to record three different shows over the period of a week.

Totally hi-tech!

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Reminds me of the first 'portable' computer I had. It was described as 'luggable'. To this day, I still have one shoulder lower than the other.

 

[JKendallDane]

Reminds me of the first 'portable' computer I had. It was described as 'luggable'. To this day, I still have one shoulder lower than the other.

One of my most prized letters from an astronaut...even if it is just a copy...was one Buzz Aldrin wrote about the lunar missions. He basically said:

"In spite of all those banks of Mission Control computers you saw on television during the race to the moon, the bottom line is we went there, landed, and managed to get back home on LESS computer capacity than is in a $5 calculator you buy at Walmart now."

John Glenn said something similar when he described what the first Mercury missions really were:

"We were just seven crazy test pilots that strapped ourselves into the nose of a giant missile jammed with the equivalent of twenty boxcars of dynamite, and let NASA light the fuse."

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[Handley_Page]

One of my most prized letters from an astronaut...even if it is just a copy...was one Buzz Aldrin wrote about the lunar missions. He basically said:

"In spite of all those banks of Mission Control computers you saw on television during the race to the moon, the bottom line is we went there, landed, and managed to get back home on LESS computer capacity than is in a $5 calculator you buy at Walmart now."

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I told my students the same thing one night (actually, less capacity than their phones).
They were seriously puzzled.

 

[NaokoSmith]

I told my students the same thing one night (actually, less capacity than their phones).
They were seriously puzzled.

I'm not surprised - a lot of phones are much smarter than their owners.

On one of Piglet's various devices is something called Siri (?). If you ask Siri what is zero divided by zero, it says it's not possible to divide something by nothing. It suggests you imagine you have no cookies. You try to divide them among your friends. It's impossible - and you have no friends.

Imagine allowing a portable device to be rude and sarky to you! I can see where Piglet gets it

 

[Tio_Narratore]

I'm not surprised - a lot of phones are much smarter than their owners.

On one of Piglet's various devices is something called Siri (?). If you ask Siri what is zero divided by zero, it says it's not possible to divide something by nothing. It suggests you imagine you have no cookies. You try to divide them among your friends. It's impossible - and you have no friends.

Imagine allowing a portable device to be rude and sarky to you! I can see where Piglet gets it

I would think a field like mathematics, which has come up with irrational and imaginary numbers, would find a way to share no cookies among a group of friends!

 

[JKendallDane]

I would think a field like mathematics, which has come up with irrational and imaginary numbers, would find a way to share no cookies among a group of friends!

After suffering through such courses as Statistics and two Quantitative Analysis classes to get my degrees, I have no doubt that could be accomplished and explained by the psychotic professor I had for two of the three courses.

It might take him three full blackboards to barf up the necessary equation, but Dr. Tamivimok would happily do it...and then make remembering it worth 50% of your grade on the final.

Gawd I hated that man!


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[Tio_Narratore]

After suffering through such courses as Statistics and two Quantitative Analysis classes to get my degrees, I have no doubt that could be accomplished and explained by the psychotic professor I had for two of the three courses.

It might take him three full blackboards to barf up the necessary equation, but Dr. Tamivimok would happily do it...and then make remembering it worth 50% of your grade on the final.

Gawd I hated that man!


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In seventeen years of math courses, I only had one that was really good, and that from an interesting, an entertaining, and a useful perspective.

I teach Quantitative Research/Stats sometimes. It can be quite a bit of fun, but too many profs make it deadly boring. I could never stand them, so I quit serving as chairman of that department.

 

[JKendallDane]

In seventeen years of math courses, I only had one that was really good, and that from an interesting, an entertaining, and a useful perspective.

I teach Quantitative Research/Stats sometimes. It can be quite a bit of fun, but too many profs make it deadly boring. I could never stand them, so I quit serving as chairman of that department.

That just nailed it to the wall as far as my situation.

I had managed to graduate high school with only one math course (general math) and then two years of community college by proficiency testing out of the business math requirement. But the university required three (what they called basic ) math courses for all degrees and I ended up spending my first semester as a junior suffering through a "bonehead algebra" remedial class so I would have a chance of passing the Stat and Quant courses.

Dr. T was a professional professor. Doctorates in math and econ, plus masters in engineering and architectural design. He was convinced in his own mind the ONLY reason anyone went to college was to learn math. He taught all day at OSU and then continued to inflict his pain by doing three night classes a week at Franklin. Even the nerds hated him!

The only salvation for taking anything useful out of those four courses was the Quant-II professor. He told us the first night, since 90% of the class were business majors, he would be teaching TO US and highly recommended to the few engineering and computer science majors in the class that they transfer to another instructor. It was fifteen weeks of stuff we would actually use out in the real world as opposed to learning theorems and equations we would never see again after finals. It was bliss and anything but boring!

Math *IS* important, but like you said, too many profs take it too serious and make it as exciting (and relevant) as watching reruns of "Leave It to Beaver" to get sex tips.

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[Tio_Narratore]

Math: A Bit of Fry and Laurie

 

[SamScribble]

Math: A Bit of Fry and Laurie

3.14159265359 - you never know when you'll need it

 

[legerdemer]

3.14159265359 - you never know when you'll need it

And what did you do on Pi Day ?

 

[SamScribble]

And what did you do on Pi Day ?

Enjoyed a steak and kidney pi? Oh, no. That was pie, wasn't it?

 

[Handley_Page]

Enjoyed a steak and kidney pi? Oh, no. That was pie, wasn't it?

In my case it was Apple Pi[e] and cream

 

[NaokoSmith]

In my case it was Apple Pi[e] and cream

Oooh, after watching Victorian week in Great British Bake Off, I am really keen to make a raised game pie. I looked up pie tins, though, and the proper Victorian ones with fluted edges are £95!!!

 

[MichaelinChina]

Oooh, after watching Victorian week in Great British Bake Off, I am really keen to make a raised game pie. I looked up pie tins, though, and the proper Victorian ones with fluted edges are £95!!!

ugh..no pound sign on my keyboard...

95 pounds? sounds like something only a yupPIE would happily pay.

 

[Handley_Page]

ugh..no pound sign on my keyboard...

95 pounds? sounds like something only a yupPIE would happily pay.

What is the symbol for the 'Yuan' ?

 

[Tio_Narratore]

What is the symbol for the 'Yuan' ?

It seems to be the same as for the Yen: ¥ (alt0165)

 

[MichaelinChina]

It seems to be the same as for the Yen: ¥ (alt0165)

umm good question. I think you are right Tio, and I cannot make that with my keyboard either.
Wait, the Chinese character looks more like the 'pi' symbol.

Strike 3.

(pssssssssssssst Tio..how did you do that? with (Alt0165)?

 

[Tio_Narratore]

umm good question. I think you are right Tio, and I cannot make that with my keyboard either.
Wait, the Chinese character looks more like the 'pi' symbol.

Strike 3.

(pssssssssssssst Tio..how did you do that? with (Alt0165)?

Try alt0165 with numlock off, or try alt157.

 

[Handley_Page]

Google is my friend:-

¥ is a currency sign used by the Chinese yuan (CNY) and the Japanese yen (JPY) currencies.
This monetary symbol resembles a Latin letter Y with a double stroke.

 

[JKendallDane]

umm good question. I think you are right Tio, and I cannot make that with my keyboard either.
Wait, the Chinese character looks more like the 'pi' symbol.

Strike 3.

(pssssssssssssst Tio..how did you do that? with (Alt0165)?

And speaking of "Strike 3"... the man who was THE BEST at catching the balls as they whizzed across the plate has joined the great team in the sky.

http://www.novotech.com/sites/default/files/Yogi.jpg

Your ball playing remains legendary and the fractured philosophies you left for us will live forever. RIP Yogi.

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[Tio_Narratore]

And speaking of "Strike 3"... the man who was THE BEST at catching the balls as they whizzed across the plate has joined the great team in the sky.

http://www.novotech.com/sites/default/files/Yogi.jpg

Your ball playing remains legendary and the fractured philosophies you left for us will live forever. RIP Yogi.

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The fat lady sang.

 

[JKendallDane]

The fat lady sang.

Where's Simon Cowell and his acerbic wit when you need him?

The Fat Lady does more than just sing!

I think I'm officially blind now.

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[SamScribble]

Where's Simon Cowell and his acerbic wit when you need him?

The Fat Lady does more than just sing!

I think I'm officially blind now.

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Oh, dear. A heart attack any moment.

 

[Handley_Page]

The Fat Lady does more than just sing!

I think I'm officially blind now.

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Oh, dear. A heart attack any moment.

ye gods, where did who find that ?