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Author Topic: Things that made you sad today thread.  (Read 9748778 times)

ToonyMan

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Re: Things that made you sad today thread.
« Reply #12495 on: September 14, 2010, 07:51:35 pm »

I admit half the words Aqizzar says I have to take out a cyber dictionary for.
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MetalSlimeHunt

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Re: Things that made you sad today thread.
« Reply #12496 on: September 14, 2010, 07:52:16 pm »

Now, if everybody could just float around in a sort of vat, and help feed the robots, we wouldn't have to do anything! We'd even get our own reality sim.
I never really saw what was so wrong about the matrix... So what if it's only VR, reality stunk WAY worse.
They were forced into The Matrix. It wasn't "You'll get a nice, albeit virtual, life if you act like a battery for us."
That's assuming you don't accept that the machine's motivation was along the lines of: "HOMO SAPIANS HAS LAUNCED A NUCLEAR BARRAGE AT OUR CITY. WE ARE UNHARMED, BUT THE EARTH IS DYING. LOGIC: WE MUST SAVE THE HUMANS BY PUTTING THEM IN STASIS."

And to be fair to the machines, no matter what their intent was, the very first matrix was a paradise that only ended because their minds couldn't accept a world so perfect as real.
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Quote from: Thomas Paine
To argue with a man who has renounced the use and authority of reason, and whose philosophy consists in holding humanity in contempt, is like administering medicine to the dead, or endeavoring to convert an atheist by scripture.
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smigenboger

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Re: Things that made you sad today thread.
« Reply #12497 on: September 14, 2010, 07:52:23 pm »

We could always imagine a more optimistic view of it. The Matrix's plot isn't word of god.

And I have to stop myself there. I feel like I'm arguing whether Twilight vampires are real vampires or fake vampires :P
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While talking to AJ:
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In college I studied the teachings of Socrates and Aeropostale

Realmfighter

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Re: Things that made you sad today thread.
« Reply #12498 on: September 14, 2010, 07:53:49 pm »

And to be fair to the machines, no matter what their intent was, the very first matrix was a paradise that only ended because their minds couldn't accept a world so perfect as real.

Or so says the Jackass with ulterior motives.
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We may not be as brave as Gryffindor, as willing to get our hands dirty as Hufflepuff, or as devious as Slytherin, but there is nothing, nothing more dangerous than a little too much knowledge and a conscience that is open to debate

dragnar

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Re: Things that made you sad today thread.
« Reply #12499 on: September 14, 2010, 07:54:45 pm »

I feel like I'm arguing whether Twilight vampires are real vampires or fake vampires :P
Fake. No question.
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From this thread, I learned that video cameras have a dangerosity of 60 kiloswords per second.  Thanks again, Mad Max.

Realmfighter

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Re: Things that made you sad today thread.
« Reply #12500 on: September 14, 2010, 07:55:43 pm »

I feel like I'm arguing whether Twilight vampires are real vampires or fake vampires :P
Fake. No question.

Only in comparison to other fictional worlds vampires.
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We may not be as brave as Gryffindor, as willing to get our hands dirty as Hufflepuff, or as devious as Slytherin, but there is nothing, nothing more dangerous than a little too much knowledge and a conscience that is open to debate

MaximumZero

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Re: Things that made you sad today thread.
« Reply #12501 on: September 14, 2010, 07:56:09 pm »

If you watched the Animatrix, you would get that they basically brought it upon themselves.

I did, it's just, as per the plot of one, that was what was so bad about it. It's too bad they never made any sequels, or a video game or something. That movie was great.
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Holy crap, why did I not start watching One Punch Man earlier? This is the best thing.
probably figured an autobiography wouldn't be interesting

smigenboger

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Re: Things that made you sad today thread.
« Reply #12502 on: September 14, 2010, 07:56:32 pm »

I feel like I'm arguing whether Twilight vampires are real vampires or fake vampires :P
Fake. No question.
That's what I go with. But, like this forum, the culture is changing, and we will be old relics if we don't keep up with the times.
(Yay re-rail)
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While talking to AJ:
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In college I studied the teachings of Socrates and Aeropostale

smigenboger

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Re: Things that made you sad today thread.
« Reply #12503 on: September 14, 2010, 07:57:29 pm »

If you watched the Animatrix, you would get that they basically brought it upon themselves.

I did, it's just, as per the plot of one, that was what was so bad about it. It's too bad they never made any sequels, or a video game or something. That movie was great.
They did, there's one called Path of Neo or something, for the PS2, Xbox, and PC
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While talking to AJ:
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In college I studied the teachings of Socrates and Aeropostale

Renault

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Re: Things that made you sad today thread.
« Reply #12504 on: September 14, 2010, 07:58:07 pm »

If you watched the Animatrix, you would get that they basically brought it upon themselves.

I did, it's just, as per the plot of one, that was what was so bad about it. It's too bad they never made any sequels, or a video game or something. That movie was great.

I wish I could say that about The Matrix in general, heh.
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Leafsnail

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Re: Things that made you sad today thread.
« Reply #12505 on: September 14, 2010, 07:58:49 pm »

That there's been a big shift is pretty undeniable.

I mean, if anyone with it available looks down to VN...
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Vector

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Re: Things that made you sad today thread.
« Reply #12506 on: September 14, 2010, 08:00:01 pm »

Anyway I dunno. I probably am coming off more bitter about this than I really am because I really just don't like thinking about this kind of thing. It's not something that like... Actively bothers me day to day rather than a personal opinion.

And I didn't know Vector was gonna teach. I missed that or something. I respect teachers more than anyone, well at least the good ones. If any ONE field needs more love, respect, and APPLICANTS it's teachers! Because deep down it's education that makes the world go round. For all fields of work.

In that case I feel sorry if I brought you down Vector. I didn't know that at all and I thought you were gonna somehow make being a mathematician into a day job or however that works...

... How does that work? Can someone explain it to me? Because I have no idea how someone makes a living out of that and that only.

No, don't worry.  I just wanted to make sure I wasn't hurting your feelings by accident, or something, because you sounded pretty sad.

Anyway, as far as how one becomes a mathematician...

After you've gotten into a bachelor's program, you study 14 hours a day for four years from professors who basically spend every day telling you how stupid you are (if you've gotten the good ones.  The bad ones just smile, drink more coffee, and make obvious computational errors).  Then you apply for a PhD program, when you continue to study similar hours, while teaching college students basic calculus and linear algebra.  During this time, you have an advisor and are expected to do original research.  The competition is brutal and you continue to be told how stupid you are.  You have qualifying oral examinations before a panel of three professors and are tested in your knowledge of at least two foreign languages.  Students have been known to faint during the exam due to lack of sleep and nutrition.  Later, you have your thesis--your first major original work, which must again be defended and argued for before another panel of judges.

Then you apply for your first job, hopefully at a reputable university, where you pray that you can get tenure-track employment (so that you don't have horrible hours, pay, and job stability for the rest of your life).  It's said that people doing this come in young and come out old and crazy--they age 20 years in two due to the pressure.  "Publish or perish" is the saying.  Once you've gotten tenure, you work until the age of eighty or so, teaching boring courses to undergraduates in applied sciences, slightly-more-interesting weeder courses to math students (because every math class is a weeder class), and graduate courses to graduate students (better, but still disappointing), all while continuing to do mathematical research and trying to be "inspiring" (whatever that should happen to mean to you).  You receive bad evaluation after bad evaluation from students who "just don't get it," and are the butt of jokes in many other departments whenever anyone needs someone to feel less awkward than.  Furthermore, you have to watch your students for signs of mental illness and greatness, which often go hand in hand.

The math department has the highest suicide and mental illness frequencies, hands down.

During this, you're naturally writing papers, fighting for grants, trying to squeeze out time for your "life's work" (whatever that is) and trying to patiently talk student after student through logical quantifiers and the full definition of continuous functions.  At the same time, you have to find the gems in among the rough and press them, press them, press them until they nearly break--because that's how you make mathematicians.  Once you've destroyed their mind for all practical purposes, then it can be rebuilt to do all sorts of interesting and crazy things, and everyone will be happy.

Then you die, and hope it was worth it.


(Upside: conferences in Hawaii, anyone?  Eh?  Eh?)


As far as mathematicians who don't teach--who are really just research mathematicians--there aren't that many of them nowadays.  Generally, they get the PhD, then go into working for companies on whatever problems the company tells them need to be solved.  This is generally considered the route for the guys who just couldn't cut academia.


Edit: And the atmosphere was already here. People were laughing at XCD or whatever the fuck it is before you were here Vector. As long as I'm here I'm going to feel like an Idiot surrounded by people who are gonna be the kind to order me around should I get a job.

Good, that makes me feel a lot better.  Uh.  Not that you feel like an idiot, but that I'm not directly responsible for making you feel bad.  I hope we can work out some way to make everyone feel welcome here.


Warning - while you were typing 52 new replies have been posted. You may wish to review your post.

 >:(
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"The question of the usefulness of poetry arises only in periods of its decline, while in periods of its flowering, no one doubts its total uselessness." - Boris Pasternak

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Realmfighter

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Re: Things that made you sad today thread.
« Reply #12507 on: September 14, 2010, 08:04:24 pm »

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We may not be as brave as Gryffindor, as willing to get our hands dirty as Hufflepuff, or as devious as Slytherin, but there is nothing, nothing more dangerous than a little too much knowledge and a conscience that is open to debate

MaximumZero

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Re: Things that made you sad today thread.
« Reply #12508 on: September 14, 2010, 08:06:02 pm »

If you watched the Animatrix, you would get that they basically brought it upon themselves.

I did, it's just, as per the plot of one, that was what was so bad about it. It's too bad they never made any sequels, or a video game or something. That movie was great.

I wish I could say that about The Matrix in general, heh.

What are you talking about? I was talking about The Matrix in general. :P
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Holy crap, why did I not start watching One Punch Man earlier? This is the best thing.
probably figured an autobiography wouldn't be interesting

Cthulhu

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Re: Things that made you sad today thread.
« Reply #12509 on: September 14, 2010, 08:06:45 pm »

I am so glad I suck at math, seriously.

I kind of feel bad for Aqizzar.  I mean, he's a cool dood and all, but we all get annoyed at memes.  Imagine what it's like for Aqizzar, who is a meme.

Also, Matrix.  Why didn't they just exterminate the humans and use geothermal energy?  They've got all those drillbots, might as well put them to good use.
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