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[Mephansteras]

I am seriously tired today. So tired that a script that should have only taken me about half an hour to write has taken me about 2 hours. I just can't focus.

[The Willow Wisp]

Last night I watched one of my childhood heroes say good bye to the fans and business he loved. Micheal Shawn Hickenbotom a.k.a. the Heart Break Kind Shawn Micheals, delivered his farewell speech on Monday Night RAW. The speech was very emotional for someone like me who idolized the guy as a child, and respected him as a teenager/young adult. I was choked up for the majority of the speech and for about five minutes afterwards. It was the closest I've come to crying in a long time.

[Tofu]

General contempt for myself and serious insecurities about the fabric of my character .
Tempting to post "/thread" but really, this thread needs to go on.

[Vector]

Either Professor Poland has broken mathematics (... somehow... he's a great mathematician!  I thought great mathematicians didn't make silly errors like this.), or I'm being a dumbass (again).  Either way, I'm quite frustrated.

Like... extremely frustrated.  I've spent 5 to 6 hours trying to crack this problem, and I seem to have found a contradiction.  This means that the formulation must be incorrect, or I'm doing something horribly wrong.

[Tack]

Every maths problem I have ever tried to solve which had a contradiction was because I accidentally divided by zero or something somewhere down the track.

Though if you DO divide by zero, you can find some pretty fun stuff.

[Vector]

Every maths problem I have ever tried to solve which had a contradiction was because I accidentally divided by zero or something somewhere down the track.

Though if you DO divide by zero, you can find some pretty fun stuff.

Ah.  In this case, the problem is that an arbitrary prime p does not, in fact, divide 1 or any other prime.  I think the professor formulated the problem incorrectly.  I've also gotten two other math students to check and make sure I'm not totally insane, so I have to go to his office hours tomorrow and put my reputation on the line.

This, right here, is probably going to decide my ability to get the Awesome homework problem next week (he's handing out individual problems, and I'm gunning for the really hard one he says he'll give to the best student in the class.  I want a good rec letter from this guy).  Here's to hoping.

[Itnetlolor]

Well, my project decided to crap out on me before the season would end, so no triple update tonight.

On the bright side, I still have another day to get it done, despite it being a work day. Just as well, I learned a few spots where I went wrong in the most recent update. Amazingly, I saw the finished product within sight.

Hopefully, with added knowledge through "precognition", I should improve the efficiency of the end product and instead of using 2 seasons to finish it, I may only need one.

[Tack]

I'm a little confused on the fact that you're going to try and prove your professor wrong, so that he will give you more homework.

... Which is a good thing...

[Vector]

I'm a little confused on the fact that you're going to try and prove your professor wrong, so that he will give you more homework.

... Which is a good thing...

Ah.  I'm trying to generate Respect.  Respect is generated in one of three ways:

1. Asking interesting questions

2. Proving that a mathematician made a mistake and, more importantly, fixing things so that they're sailing smoothly again.

3. Solving hard problems or, even better, really hard problems (or, even better, Riemann's Hypothesis >_>).  Extra points if you do it with clarity and elegance.

The reason why you want Respect is because, should you gain sufficient amounts of it, you are set for life.  Mathematicians care for their own.  It's a tight-knit community full of gentle (though admittedly extremely argumentative) people.  The trouble is that when you don't have Respect, you don't get to talk to the interesting folks who have done great things.  It's a societal taboo.  If you're a lowly student seriously trying to break into mathematical society, you can't really ask for help.  Your job is to work hard until you can do the above three things consistently, and then you're a Promising Student who is Clearly Well-Motivated (and you really don't need to ask for help anymore, because you're probably more skilled than most post-docs >_>  Don't get me started on Algebra Guy.).

The other thing is that solving problems is ... well, it's really fun.  I'll admit that at first it's extremely frustrating, but after a while it's sort of like walking along a big fence, finding a hole in the shrubbery, and popping into a secret garden of sorts.  It's easy and natural, and not really hard work at all.  It also builds concentration, diligence, and patience.



... Also, I'm incredibly arrogant at the same time as being irritatingly insecure in my abilities.  I want the validation of being the most talented student in this honors course, which routinely assigns problems that stump PhD students.

I happen to think I deserve it.

[Euld]

If I can theoretically fall asleep in 3 minutes or less, then I'll get five hours of sleep before work tomorrow.  Ahahahahahahahahahahahaha.  Insomnia here I come.

[Tack]

The reason why you want Respect is because, should you gain sufficient amounts of it, you are set for life.  Mathematicians care for their own.  It's a tight-knit community full of gentle (though admittedly extremely argumentative) people.

Kind of like how a Respected Archaologist can drop some names to get into the sealed sections of Pompeii?

[Duke 2.0]

 My father and sister and I are going to New York for the next two days. What are we doing there? Why am I expected to dress so well? How long will this really be? I have no idea. Just a week ago my dad said "Let's go to New York." So we are.

 ...

 What crap is he pulling off this time.

[RAM]

House renovations?

[Duke 2.0]

 If that is directed at me then it is implausible, as I have another sister and a mother staying behind. I'm suspecting some event he wants to go to and wants to drag us along to but didn't realize that the only time he ever told anybody anything about it was to himself in his head.

[Cthulhu]

He's gonna have your mom, brother, and sister turned into synthetics while you're away.