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| 2007/2/25-3/1 [Computer/Theory] UID:45816 Activity:moderate |
2/24 For those w/ a math interest KCSM (Channel 17/43.1) in the Bay
Area is airing a biography of Paul Erdos this Wednesday, 28 Feb.
\_ After the program, I dans@soda, will present a comprehensive
critique here in the soda motd.
\_ Really? I mean, Paul Erdos rocks and all, but, if
you're tuning in to the program, you already know that.
\_ Really? I mean, Paul Erdos rocks and all, but, if you're
tuning in to the program, you already know that.
P.S. Don't impersonate people on the motd. It's lame.
And if you're going to do it, at least get the details
right. -dans
\- VFR Jones, of the "Jones Polynomial" fame is giving a
talk on March 7 5pm at the Bancroft Hotel. dans will
follow it up with a talk on the HOMFLY polynomial.
On a different subject, Martin Jay, will be giving
a talk on Lying in Politics [he's not going to say what
you might expect, unless maybe you know him and read his LRB?
essay on this] on Feb 28 5pm Bancroft Hotel. Martin Jay is
not a normal person ... I think he has a photographic memory.
\_ Heh. I took Math 1B from Jones. Teaching lower-division
math classes made him *pissed*. -dans
\_ You really enjoy making threads tack so they are
about you, dont you?
\_ So then don't become a professor. Use your super
math skills in industry. People who become profs
and then get mad when they have to teach are idiots.
I'm sure even his dumb ass had to take 1B or
equivalent once upon a time and someone taught it
to him.
\_ Don't hate the player, hate the game: Berkeley math
doesn't even ask about teaching on their faculty
job applications. The department doesn't care, so
why should individual faculty?
\- what is ironic is one of the most notorious
math profs, Hurricane Wu, cares deeply about
teaching ... and even writes papers on how
to teach math. ob:
http://soda.berkeley.edu/~echeng/hurricane_wu
\_ Dude, were you abused by a theoretical math
professor? I mean, Vaughn Jones is a Fields
Medalist, somehow I suspect the satisfaction and
rewards with being, literally, one of the worlds
greatest mathematicians probably outweighs the
annoyance of having to teach Math 1B once every few
years. -dans
\_ And then these sorts typically take out their
frustration and annoyance on their undergrads
which is no good for anyone involved. They
should just hire non-prof. teachers to take care
of the lower division stuff.
\_ I think you are mis-diagnosing the problem.
It's not that 1a/b are elementary, it's that
they are not really math classes in the sense
that mathematicians practice math. These
classes exist to teach scientists and engineers
very useful practical skills, none of which
are relevant for a working mathematician. The
way for them to be taught right is for people
who acctually use calc to teach them, i.e.
science and engineering professors. The reason
this rarely happens is political: math
departments get money based on the huge
enrollment, and don't want to ever lose that
money to physics, EE, or ME or whatever.
At a school other than Berkeley, they actually
had applied physics profs teaching the 50a/b
series, and those sections were waaaay over
enrolled, while only people with a schedule
conflict would sign up with the math guy.
\_ The CS department has introduced CS 70 as
a replacement for Math 55 (formerly 50a/b)
for basically this reason. The math dept.
didn't care much for 55 since math people
don't take it, so it was generally not well
supported. It's really a class for CS types,
so it was moved to CS. -gm
\- curious point: among non-medical faculty
VFR Jones is one of the highest paid profs
in the uc system. it's a strange outlier.
\_ He's a Field's Medalist for pete's sake.
If that doesn't earn him a ridiculously
high salary, what will?
-dans
\- dood, you have to stop assuming
everybody else is stupid. uc has a
bunch of other nobels and fields
medalists and obviously i was
noting VFRJ compared to them, not
a lecturer in comp lit. it might be
interesting to see TTAO's recent
salary curve. in addition to prestige
there is mkt price/op cost, and how much
$$$ they bring into the university. e.g.
kahan has a turing award but i bet
patterson brings in more $$$. and i
didnt say it was ridiculously high.
i'm focusing on it's outliernss, not
it's magnitude.
\_ But he's a *field medalist*!!!@!1111
-!dans
\_ Why do you think I'm assuming
everyone else is stupid?
Insecure, and maybe a little
irrational possibly, but not
stupid. -dans
\_ See, this, right here, is why
no one likes you.
\_ No, that right there is what
I do to prevent having to
put up with fuckheads like
you in my social circle.
The precise term for this
is "standards".
-dans
\_ Hint: you can't get out
of the hole by continuing
to dig.
\_ Hint: I don't need
the affirmation of
anonymous motd hosers
to feel secure in my
sense of self. -dans
We're gonna need a bigger shovel... _/
\_ I'll take backhoes for $200, Alex!
-dans
\_ HOly fucking crap I want to buy a
backhoe for 200 dollars.
\_ try ofarrell && larkin
\_ Could you please provide
more information? thanks!
-guy who wants backhoe
\_ The $200 back hoe's
are usually Transvestites.
\_ dans, a couple of us got a
good laugh out of your use of
"theoretical math professor".
keep up the inadvertent humor. |
| 2007/2/25-3/1 [Computer/SW/Security, Computer/HW/Drives] UID:45817 Activity:nil |
2/25 The top page of Fry's Electronic's (outpost) no longer shows
the [Retail] Store Locator. Are they getting rid of the stores?
\_ I doubt it:
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/02-05-2007/0004520005&EDATE=
http://preview.tinyurl.com/ysdl54 (prnewswire.com) |
| 2007/2/25-3/1 [Recreation/Computer/Games] UID:45818 Activity:nil |
2/25 Call of Duty 3 on Wii-- worst game for Wii, evar. The controls
are unlike the other Wiis, where aiming and focus is slow,
imprecise, and unintuitive. The jeep driving part is totally
unplayable where you have very little control over the vehicle
because the Wii tilt sensor has a 500ms delay. I loved CoD2 and
CoD1, but CoD3 is worst game of them all. Don't waste your
money on it. |
| 2007/2/25-3/1 [Uncategorized] UID:45819 Activity:nil |
2/25 http://www.discover.com/issues/nov-06/rd/beautiful-daughters THE RESEARCHER Kanazawa says he doesn't want to be sued for this advice, but "by marrying a beautiful spouse you are slightly increasing the chance that you'll have a daughter." \_ No wonder I have two boys. Gotta show this to my wife. \_ What are you saying, that 1) your wife is not beautiful 2) you're ugly 3) both? \_ He could be saying he's a scientist or engineer. |
| 2007/2/25-3/3 [Recreation/Dating, Health/Disease/AIDS] UID:45820 Activity:high |
2/25 I hate condoms:
http://www.salon.com/sept97/columnists/unzipped970903.html
\_ I think that condoms, like contact lenses, suck because our
materials technology sucks, and that neither is fundamentally
a bad idea, and will be fine to use in a few more decades.
I think condoms will stop sucking right around the time contact
lenses do.
\_ On the contrary, I think condoms will start sucking in a few
decades, rendering Fleshlight obsolete. Wireless power will
have to work first, though.
\_ Exactly! That's exactly my point! And contact lenses will have
a zoom function, see infrared, and have headsup displays.
\_ I wonder if the author feels the same way 10 years later.
\_ Herpes rules.
\_ I've been in the same boat since before 97 (use a condom
the first few times, give up shortly after cause damn those
things suck) and I've not had any stds. Nor has anyone I've
known. The big STD fear is pretty blow out of proportion
if your risk factors aren't that high. AIDS devistated the
gay world because plenty of gay men had 100s of partners a
year, without any protection. The number of people I've slept
with more that a few times is pretty low, and I bet that's
true for almost everyone.
\_ I code for hobby and pleasure. My chance is 0%. I rule.
\_ I'm sure you don't wear a seat belt either.
\_ It only takes one time with the wrong person.
\_ It does, that's why when the risk is high (random person,
no known history) I use a condom. But really the STD doom
and gloom is way out of proportion to the risk. Seriously.
\_ So the second time? The third time? I hope you're
aware of how many STDs show no signs until it's too
late. And there are others that can be easily
transmitted even with a condom. You're just playing
Russian Roulette with your health. I wonder if you've
ever been tested for anything recently? You could be
infected with any number of things and not know it and
be spreading whatever you have to whoever you've been
with.
\_ Jesus Christ you are thick. It's not a matter of
waiting a time or two to make sure my penis doesn't
fall off. It's a question of not having risky sex
with people I only sleep with a few times. By that
time I've gotten to know someone a bit, know that
they most likely have the same kinds of policies
and know that, considering we both get tested every
few years, that hey, the risks are fairly low.
The fact is if you aren't in a high risk group STDs
are really PRETTY DAMN RARE. Yes you can refuse any
risk and always use a condom, but you know what, tons
of people don't and if the risks were unreasonable
you would know a hell of a lot more people with
STDs.
\_ The number of women with HPV is estimated to be
25%. HPV is asymptomatic. If you're having sex
with an American woman your odds are 1 in 4 of
being exposed to HPV. And the kicker is you
wouldn't even know it and can easily pass it on.
Cervical cancer for all your partner, nice of you
to share that. I shouldn't have to explain any
further how your choices are extremely likely to
lead to HPV and likely several other STDs. It is
true that two people in low risk groups are by
definition at low risk for STD transmission. The
thing is *you* are not in a low risk group. Have
a nice day.
\_ Someone is bitter that they never get laid.
Someone has also bought into the great HPV
scare. How sad.
\_ Someone has never lived with a woman, or
has never heard of a PAP smear, or knows
pathetically little about STDs to call this
widely known data a "scare".
From the CDC:
Approximately 20 million people are
currently infected with HPV. At least
50 percent of sexually active men and
women acquire genital HPV infection at
some point in their lives. By age 50,
at least 80 percent of women will have
acquired genital HPV infection. About
6.2 million Americans get a new genital
HPV infection each year.
I think you'd be shocked to see the numbers
for herpes type 1.
\_ Herpes type 1 is a cold sore. Hardly
something where condom usage matters.
\_ Huh, the immediate above poster needs to visit Health class again
in junior high/ high school / college. HSV TYPE 1 and HSV
TYPE 2 will both happily in your groin area. They will
happily be passed through condomless sex. It is true that
condoms dont 100 percent block transmission, but it does happen.
It is true that HSV TYPE 2 is USUALLY not passed to the mouth
from genital->mouth transmission. About 25-30 years ago
the health prof. community really did differentiate between
the two viruses as 'type 1 is a mouth cold sore' and
'type 2 is a cold sore on your groin area' but I will
state 100 percent no question that all knowledgeable health
professionals do not believe this. type 1 and type 2 are
both herpes cold sores. You're just kind of unhappy when
you have an outbreak of either on your groin. A lot of people
have one AND two on their groin area. Fun. The only difference
between the two is the outbreak rate. People with type
1 on their groin might only get 1 outbreak their entire life.
The evil thing is even when you're not having an outbreak,
you can be transmitttablle. People with type 1 on their lips
usually get one outbreak per year. People with type 2 on groin
get an outbreak every 3 or 4 months. It all varies. Type 2
on lips hardly ever get outbreaks. Their are some differences
in severity of initial outbreak. The good thing is
Hepres wont kill you. Have fun.
And as to HPV, yes I know about
pap smears. But the HPV is harldy
a big deal. Seriously. Less than
1 hundredth of a percent of the female
population is diagnosed with with
cervical cancer a year. If 1/4 of
the population has HPV (the numbers
I've seen are > 1/2 of sexually active
adults) then gee, maybe it's not like
it's on the same leauge as a real STD.
By great HPV scare I'm talking about
people who are sad that AIDS is no
longer as an effecitve way to try
to scare people into abstinance (and
do you remember when herpes was being
used the same way?) are trying to
do the same with HPV. The difference?
HPV ISN'T THAT BIG OF A DEAL.
Oh and PS, condoms don't really protect
against HPV that well.
\_ So you don't seem to know that you
can get type 1 herpes in your mouth,
which we call a cold sore, but also
on your genitals *and* in your eyes.
\_ Actually I do know this, but
I also know the vast majority of
herpes 1 is oral, and so bringing
it up in this context is well,
stupid. Then again since neither
my girlfriend nor I have any
form of herpes it's not really an
issue. But you know what, my
advice to you is live in fear,
take a bleach shower after every
sexual encounter and I'm sure that
will all work out well for you.
\_ Type 1 is mostly oral and can
be transmitted to the mouth,
groin or eyes of your partner.
It is not a trivial event to
be so easily dismissed. You keep
talking about living in fear and
tossing around direct personal
insults of various sorts instead
of relying on any sort of pesky
facts in an effort to justify
your risky decisions. Hey, guess
what? You're not the only one
getting laid in hs, college, or
after college. Some people get
lucky and stay healthy, others
don't. I used to think like you
but fortunately I got smart
before I got unlucky. Maybe the
same will happen for you.
Probably not since there's even
more bad stuff out there than
when I was 'dating' and it
sounds like you're less careful
than I was, which isn't saying
much. I find it interesting
that you avoided all questions
about sharing info and what
you'd do in various cases if
either of you knew beforehand.
Would you kiss a girl with type
1 oral herpes? Would you let
her bj you? Why or why not?
When you or your gf have an outbreak
of type 1 genital herpes I don't think
either of you will be happy to know it
is "only" a cold sore. And, yes the
fact that HPV can spread even with
condom use should make one rethink
their plan to have a large number of
short term partners instead of a small
number of long term. Now that you've
made it clear you don't give a shit if
you transmit to someone, would you tell
them if you had something before having
sex or just figure it's ok because in
your opinion it's no big deal and just
a CDC conspiracy to control our sex
lives? If she had something and told
you before would you still have sex
with her? If not, why not? After all
it is *only* type 1 herpes, a mere
cold sore. I'll restate that you are
correct that two low risk people are at
low risk for transmission in either
direction, but you are not one of those
low risk people you're talking about.
\_ Dude, I had sex with at least 50
\_ Dude, I had sex with at least 500
women before I got married and
settled down. I often used a condom
but by no means all of the time.
I never caught herpes (either type),
or chlamydia, or aids or syphillis.
Not everyone is infected by your
fear and paranoia. Sure I took
risks, but they were calculated
risks, but they were careful
risks and I was fine. Real life
is like this everyday. -!dans
is like this everyday. -!pp or op
\_ The Author married the next year:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/yr7zh2 (NYT)
\_ Correction: She met her future husband the next year; they
got married in October 2000.
\_ So, presumably she never caught an STD.
\_ This is an unfounded assumption.
\_ Okay sure. But the presumption that she has
herpes today is even less likely to be true.
\_ I find it hilarious that someone
feels the need to qualify this
by saying that they're not me.
-dans
\_ Yeah, I was worried that your
fans might think that you had
only had 50 lifetime sex
partners and stop worshipping
you. (Actually, the real
reason is that someone changed
my 50 to a 500 and then signed
your name to the bottom, so
I changed it back to 50 and
signed it !dans, but my first
answer is funnier) -!dans
\_ You've got a funny notion
of what constitutes funny.
Though it's amusing that I
have achieved psb's level
of infamy. -dans
\_ lol there are 2 tenured Cal professors who think AIDS is not
transmitted sexually.
\_ http://csua.org/u/i4s -DANH
\_ http://csua.org/u/i4s -PSB
\_ http://csua.org/u/i4s
\_ I know some slutty gay guys who have had unprotected sex as a bottom
with dozens of partners and are STD free. Just because you win the
lottery doesn't mean you will keep winning the lottery, "Luck can't
last a lifetime unless you die young"
\_ Only the good die young. -bjoel
\_ Don't take credit for my lyrics
you fuck. -bdickinson
\_ Am I the only one who appreciates the irony of a flame war on the
CSUA motd over STD's? I mean, generally speaking the CSUA is not
the place one frequents to get laid. I mean, yeah, there are
exceptions, but in general... -dans
\_ You weren't here in the good ole days... -!dans
\_ So, what, you fucked ahm? lila? Or are you suggesting that,
in the 'good ole days' the CSUA would convert the machine
rooms to gay bathhouses? -dans
\_ No, I think it is amusing that you can only think of the
csua from a guy's perspective. Plenty of women used to
frequent the CSUA to get "laid." They would probably deny
that this is what they were here for, but the end result
was the same. Personally, I dated at least four different
csua women (if you use the strict definition of csua
member == csua account holder), but I know quite a few
women who make me look like a piker. Don't you guys have
groupies anymore? -!dans
\_ Probably, but I was never that into CSUA groupies.
\_ Probably, but I was never that into CSUA herpes.
Turn it around to the guy's perspective, why chase
after the one or two groupies that all the other geeks
are swarming over? -dans |
| 2007/2/25-28 [Uncategorized/Multicategory] UID:45821 Activity:high |
2/25 Any reason why British people have bad teeth in general?
\_ Floride. POE.
\_ I thought floride prevents tooth decay. -- !OP
\_ Purity Of Essence. The Brits have it.
\_ Mostly it's a comparison issue: Americans place a high regard on
orthodonture and good-looking teeth, whereas Brits traditionally
have not. This is changing, and within a generation or so, Brit
teeth may look no worse than average American teeth. Cf. Japanese
teeth or any other nation's teeth, for that matter.
\- there is probably a discontinuity because it isnt covered
in their national heath care system or something like that.
\_ Japanese health insurance usually covers dental fixes but
not regular check-ups. Ounce of prevention, etc.
\_ Socialized medicine.
\_ Rubbish. My brothers and I grew up in the world's greatest
living example of socialism, the US military, and our teeth
are fine.
\_ The USM isn't socialist. As a soldier you are a product and
resource unit, property as you will, of the USM. It wouldn't
do to spend so much on your training and upkeep and then have
you not ready for battle because of a tooth ache. The USM
takes care of it's property until it's time not to. If you
weren't actually soliders and just army brats then the same
thing applies. Can't have dad distracted from war because
his kids are home screaming in pain about their rotted teeth.
\_ I got guaranteed healthcare, dental, housing, counseling,
utilities, education, travel expenses, moving expenses,
subsidized groceries and consumer goods, and in return the
military told us where to go and what to do. I presented
papers at every gate I passed through, listened to
radio programs laced with propaganda (FEN, AFN), read
newspapers with propaganda (Stars & Stripes), and
assumed that the phones were tapped. How is this not
socialism? And yes, as I said, we grew up in the USM, so
we were military brats.
\_ Socialism has nothing to do with being a slave to the
state. That is what the military is. Try a dictionary,
polisci classmate, or your favorite online resource for
a detailed definition of socialism. What you describe
is exactly what I described: the military owns you and
takes cares of you like property or a puppy, tells you
what to do, when, where, and how, and then when needed,
they spend you in a war somewhere or send your dad's
dog tags and a flag home to your mom.
\_ From Wikipedia:
"Socialism refers to a broad array of doctrines or
political movements that envisage a socio-economic
system in which property and the distribution of
wealth are subject to social control. This control
may be either direct-- exercised through popular
collectives such as workers' councils-- or
indirect-- exercised on behalf of the people by the
state. As an economic system, socialism is often
characterized by state or community ownership of
the means of production."
Now, examine what I wrote above and tell me how this
fails to meet a definition of Socialism. |