What is the newest installment of 'Random Thoughts' on Physics Forums?

[WWGD]

Argh, you don't _project data_ to higher dimensions, last I checked. You may map it to higher dimensions then project down.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I have spent most of my life in pursuit of intellectual challenges. About ten years ago when my 25-year marriage ended, I decided to take on the greatest intellectual challenge any man has ever faced - to understand women. If I'm so damn smart, I reasoned, I should be able to figure out women.

Truth is, I have learned more about women in the last ten years than in all of the years before combined. And there is no doubt that learning can be fun!

The internet is an amazing tool. I estimate that I have talked with about 6000 women online. I couldn't meet that many women if I spent the rest of my life in bars.

And there are how-to videos for EVERYTHING. LOL!

 

[WWGD]

I have spent most of my life in pursuit of intellectual challenges. About ten years ago when my 25-year marriage ended, I decided to take on the greatest intellectual challenge any man has ever faced - to understand women. If I'm so damn smart, I reasoned, I should be able to figure out women.

Truth is, I have learned more about women in the last ten years than in all of the years before combined. And there is no doubt that learning can be fun!

The internet is an amazing tool. I estimate that I have talked with about 6000 women online. I couldn't meet that many women if I spent the rest of my life in bars.

If you were married, you would be living behind bars ;).

 

[Ivan Seeking]

If you were married, you would be living behind bars ;).

No no, I never cheated. This was all after my marriage ended. ;)

 

[Ivan Seeking]

One night something hit me like a truck: As it turns out, my outgoing and humorous nature is perceived by women as flirting, even if I wasn't flirting. I didn't realize this until I had a date get furious one night because I was, in her words, flirting with our waitress right in front of her. I really wasn't flirting. I was just joking around like I do with everyone. But my date saw that as flirting... DING DING DING DING!

At that moment I realized that all I have to do to pickup women, is do what I normally do anyway. LOL! I then learned to amplify my sense of humor and Voilà. Most women open right up if you can make them laugh.

Also, romance is a dying art. Some women really appreciate old-school hopeless romantics. Most of my dates are 20-30 years younger than me. My current gf is 29.

 

[WWGD]

No no, I never cheated. This was all after my marriage ended. ;)

I remember this weird guy from one of these sleazy talk shows stating he had cheated on his girlfriend, not on his wife. With a straight face.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I remember this weird guy from one of these sleazy talk shows stating he had cheated on his girlfriend, not on his wife. With a straight face.

I tried casual dating - where you can ethically and morally date more than one person. And while I'm not looking to get married again, I don't like seeing more than one person at a time. I'm not a player. But I have extremely high standards. They have to be very beautiful and smart! I might talk with 300 women online after passing on ten times as many; meet half a dozen for coffee and perhaps a second date with a couple of them. But the point is to find that special connection - the seemingly inexplicable chemistry that makes the relationship special. That is not easy to find. With a little luck it might last a few years or more. But at my age I can't expect to keep them.

As one young lady told me, she is dating men my age while she is waiting for men her age to grow up. LOL!

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Oh yes, oddly enough, I learned a key concept from the show, The West Wing. A woman is explaining how guys who are not proverbial hunks or knockouts get beautiful women: Smart and funny. Many women are attracted to men who are smart and funny.

I remember thinking, "I can do smart and funny!" This just helped to reinforce what I had already been learning. It's true! Unflinching confidence, smart, and funny. That was the ticket along with losing 60 pounds and adding a bunch of muscle. Gotta take great care of yourself too!

 

[WWGD]

Oh yes, oddly enough, I learned a key concept from the show, The West Wing. A woman is explaining how guys who are not proverbial hunks or knockouts get beautiful women: Smart and funny. Many women are attracted to men who are smart and funny.

I remember thinking, "I can do smart and funny!" This just helped to reinforce what I had already been learning. It's true! Unflinching confidence, smart, and funny. That was the ticket along with losing 60 pounds and adding a bunch of muscle. Gotta take great care of yourself too!

I have become used to being on my own. I had trouble with it initially but have come to even enjoy it.

 

[WWGD]

I guess a major difference is that in today's connected world so that there are a lot of fun, productive alternatives to marriage or relationships.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I guess a major difference is that in today's connected world so that there are a lot of fun, productive alternatives to marriage or relationships.

I would definitely say it differently. The power of the internet makes if far easier to find what you want. It is brutal because it also means you have to be willing to endure far more rejection. But it is just a number's game. The person you hope to meet is out there. You just have to find her. And you have to be willing to put in the work. That said, people are definitely looking for alternatives to marriage. I sure was! No way was I getting married again. But I still want to have someone special in my life.

I have become used to being on my own. I had trouble with it initially but have come to even enjoy it.

You are a student?

 

[WWGD]

I would definitely say it differently. The power of the internet makes if far easier to find what you want. It is brutal because it also means you have to be willing to endure far more rejection. But it is just a number's game. The person you hope to meet is out there. You just have to find her. And you have to be willing to put in the work. That said, people are definitely looking for alternatives to marriage. I sure was! No way was I getting married again. But I still want to have someone special in my life. You are a student?

No, not a student at this point. I miss the lighthearted undergraduate life, but not a student.
And I was referring more to being on one's own aided by an internet-based community as an alternative.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

No, not a student at this point. I miss the lighthearted undergraduate life, but not a student.
And I was referring more to being on one's own aided by an internet-based community as an alternative.

I was just curious about your age. I was engaged twice and married for 30 years before the divorce was final. So we are talking about two very different worlds. But it is true that people of all ages are looking for alternatives to marriage. However, unless you want to spend your life alone, you just have to put yourself out there. Be persistent and patient.

 

[ergospherical]

lol freaking thameslink man, “sorry guys we can’t go anywhere because the driver got lost on the way here”

(and in any case how hard can it be, just press the ‘go’ button, no? )

 

[ergospherical]

haha this announcer dude gives zero f*cks, through the intercom, “woah there’s a train coming in, not sure which one it is but it should have a driver on board”

 

[WWGD]

haha this announcer dude gives zero f*cks, through the intercom, “woah there’s a train coming in, not sure which one it is but it should have a driver on board”

I remember a sign at the movies, at the markee: " Check online for features". Like they can't be bothered to list the movies that were playing. Attitude of " Wanna know? You check it out".

 

[WWGD]

Kind of strange how sometimes I get something that looks like an older format of PF

 

[Ibix]

PHP issues apparently - should now be fixed. See my thread in Feedback.

 

[ergospherical]

My eyes used to be quite blue, but as I got older they faded a little. But whenever I cry a lot, they become very bright turquoise again for a half hour or so. Are there any biology nerds here who can explain that?

 

[Astronuc]

Pearson CEO predicts demise of physical textbooks as digital service launches
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/pear...bscription-textbook-app-launch-192710982.html

I admit that I buy e-textbooks, since I use some information from the books in reports. I prefer the hardcopy textbooks. I can't see renting a book by the month. I prefer to own it outright, so that I can refer back later.

 

[fresh_42]

I admit that I buy e-textbooks, since I use some information from the books in reports. I prefer the hardcopy textbooks.

I wonder about the consequences these changes to digital media will have in the long run. It is a completely different experience, whether one digs through libraries for hours or using electronic search methods. I still prefer the bookshelf over the computer (or similar) when I want to look up something. And my reading is different, too.

The last time we had a major change was when we only had letters between scientists and the big books from Newton or Gauß and changed to modern textbooks. It resulted in a massive increase in numbers and quality of research. I really doubt that this will be the case again. I rather fear that the opposite is the case: FIFO in the knowledge queue.

 

[WWGD]

Pearson CEO predicts demise of physical textbooks as digital service launches
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/pear...bscription-textbook-app-launch-192710982.html

I admit that I buy e-textbooks, since I use some information from the books in reports. I prefer the hardcopy textbooks. I can't see renting a book by the month. I prefer to own it outright, so that I can refer back later.

It's tricky. I agree in general but have so much paperwork in my place; books, notebooks, exams, etc., that it takes up too much space. Maybe middle of the road; scanned copies may be ideal for me.

 

[WWGD]

I see people in ( outdoor, while walking by) coffee shops, bars , relaxing to the tune of the song " Pumped up Kicks" , seemingly ignorant of the fact that it is a song about a quiet kid that goes into a shooting rampage , in part because he envies the cool shoes ( " Pumped up Kicks") other kids have which he cannot afford.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I wonder about the consequences these changes to digital media will have in the long run. It is a completely different experience, whether one digs through libraries for hours or using electronic search methods. I still prefer the bookshelf over the computer (or similar) when I want to look up something. And my reading is different, too.

The last time we had a major change was when we only had letters between scientists and the big books from Newton or Gauß and changed to modern textbooks. It resulted in a massive increase in numbers and quality of research. I really doubt that this will be the case again. I rather fear that the opposite is the case: FIFO in the knowledge queue.

But on the practical side, I can often do in minutes, or seconds, or technically in 0.024 seconds, what once took hours.

 

[fresh_42]

But on the practical side, I can often do in minutes, or seconds, or technically in 0.024 seconds, what once took hours.

But you miss all the things you found on your way during these hours! I simply think that it is knowledge that didn't come to stay.

 

[WWGD]

But you miss all the things you found on your way during these hours! I simply think that it is knowledge that didn't come to stay.

There's something to be said for both. Browsing randomly can bring about productive, unexpected results * but sometimes you just need things done ASAP.

* I am trying to remember the precise term here, without success.
Edit: Serendipity is the word I was thinking of.

 

[Astronuc]

And now for something completely different . . .

Is Galena Creek the world's longest cathedral arch bridge?
https://www.rgj.com/story/news/2015...orlds-longest-cathedral-arch-bridge/28325211/

 

[Astronuc]

This could also be a TIL -

Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area is a census area in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2010 census, the population was 5,588. It has the largest area of any county or county-equivalent in the United States, with an area of 147,805 square miles (382,810 km²).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yukon–Koyukuk_Census_Area,_Alaska

San Bernardino County in California is the largest county in the contiguous United States with an area of 20,105 square miles (52,070 km²).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Bernardino_County,_California

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_largest_counties_in_the_United_States_by_area

 

[WWGD]

I

This could also be a TIL -

Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area is a census area in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2010 census, the population was 5,588. It has the largest area of any county or county-equivalent in the United States, with an area of 147,805 square miles (382,810 km²).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yukon–Koyukuk_Census_Area,_Alaska

San Bernardino County in California is the largest county in the contiguous United States with an area of 20,105 square miles (52,070 km²).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Bernardino_County,_California

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_largest_counties_in_the_United_States_by_area

Instead of people per square mile, Yukon should be measured in square miles per person. I imagine similar is the case with nearby Nunavut ( Canada).

 

[ergospherical]

Few things tick me off more than whenever a book uses that grotesque $v_{,a}$ and $v_{;a}$ notation for partial and covariant derivatives. It's hard enough to read in print, and near impossible to handwrite.

[Whilst we're at it, I also don't trust anyone who puts their primes on the indices ($v^{a'}$ as opposed to ${v'}^a$). Also, why not just use tildes ($\tilde{v}^a$) or bars ($\bar{v}^a$) - they're much more readable, and get lost much less easily, than primes. ]

 

[fresh_42]

Few things tick me off more than whenever a book uses that grotesque $v_{,a}$ and $v_{;a}$ notation for partial and covariant derivatives. It's hard enough to read in print, and near impossible to handwrite.

[Whilst we're at it, I also don't trust anyone who puts their primes on the indices ($v^{a'}$ as opposed to ${v'}^a$). Also, why not just use tildes ($\tilde{v}^a$) or bars ($\bar{v}^a$) - they're much more readable, and get lost much less easily, than primes. ]

You are not the first and certainly won't be the last who tried to clean his screen or even a page in a book from that little dirty mark that finally turned out to be a prime and not a fruit fly.

 

[WWGD]

You are not the first and certainly won't be the last who tried to clean his screen or even a page in a book from that little dirty mark that finally turned out to be a prime and not a fruit fly.

Differential Geometry becomes way easier once you figure out the notation.

 

[Astronuc]

Everything You Need to Know About the True Origins of the Everything Bagel​

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/who-invented-the-everything-bagel

The everything bagel is the king of bagels. On this there should be no argument. In the same way that it combines all of the key bagel toppings—sesame and poppy seeds, dried garlic and onion, and coarse salt . . .

I prefer the classic Everything Bagel.

 

[WWGD]

I am pretty sure you know this but one of the best math physics expositors is John Baez. He presents math better than many math physicists , for my taste.

 

[ergospherical]

I am pretty sure you know this but one of the best math physics expositors is John Baez. He presents math better than many math physicists , for my taste.

Have you looked at Gauge Fields, Knots and Gravity? I've only finished Part I (out of III) so far [and I've been a bit frugal in doing the problems, lolz], but the bits I have engaged with so far are freaking beautiful.