If I had to pick a song that was “me”…
…it’d have to be this.
I don’t even know why. But it speaks to me on a genetic level.
Duuuuuuuuuude
I was talking to some dude in the Commons today while I was waiting for English to start. We were blah-blahing about school and stuff and he asked me if I was working and going to school at the same time and I automatically said “no.”
I freaking forgot I was employed. That’s how much I love my job: I keep forgetting that it’s a job. I’m getting paid $23 an hour to talk about what I love.
THAT’S SO FREAKING AWESOME I CAN HARDLY STAND IT.
(Sorry, I’ll stop now)
“When Will I Use That?” – Calculus Edition
Alternate title: Claudia Makes Things Way More Complicated than They Need to Be Because She Sucks
We had this bonus question on our homework for Probability today:
Suppose X has a density defined by
Let FX(x) be the cumulative distribution of X. Find the area of the region bounded by the x-axis, the y-axis, the line y = 1, and the curve y = FX(x).
And I was like, “Aw, sweet! Areas of regions! CALCULUS!”
So first, I had to find the cumulative distribution function (cdf) of X. Easy. It’s just the integral of the density fX(x) from negative infinity to a constant b. In this case:
With 2 ≤ b ≤ 3. So that’s my curve y. The area I’m looking for, therefore, is this (the red part, not the purplish part):
Now anyone with half a brain would look at this and go, “oh yeah, that’s easy. I can find the area of the rectangle formed by the two axes, the line y = 1, and the line x = 3, then find the area of the region below the curve from 2 to 3, and subtract the latter from the former to get the correct area.”
Which works. Area of rectangle = 3, area of region below FX(x) = .25, area of region of
interest = 2.75.
Or they could remember the freaking formula that was explicitly taught last week. Such areas can be calculated using:
But did I see either of those? Nooooooope.
I looked at the graph and was like, “how the hell do you find that?” I tried a few things that didn’t work, then realized that it would be a lot easier to figure out if I changed the integral from being in terms of x (or b, rather) to being in terms of y.
So then I just had to integrate. This gave me the right answer: 2.75!
Moral of the story: don’t complicate things. But if you do complicate things, you might actually end up in a scenario where you’ll use something that you were taught back in calculus I but didn’t ever suspect you’d actually use. I had appreciated learning the handy-dandy technique of changing variables, but I didn’t think I’d be in a situation where I’d apply it. Shows what I know, eh?
It was a nice refresher, at least. I’ve missed calculus.
I haven’t laughed this hard in a long time
More Achievement Hunter today. Sorry. Pretty much every video they’ve put out this past week has been hysterical, and this is absolutely no exception:
The game itself is absurd, and having the AH guys play it brings it to a whole new level of WTF-ness.
Also, have some Rage Quit. This one’s growing on me:
As always, if excessive cursing (and/or freakish aliens wrestling) offends you, do not watch!
END!
NaNoWriMo: T-Minus 3 Days
ALRIGHTY.
SO.
NaNoWriMo.
I probably shouldn’t do it this year ‘cause I have a TON of other stuff to do, but what the hell. That’s never stopped me before, right?
But I think I’m going to do things a little differently this year. I have one more “long” story due in Fiction on the 20th. I’m going to use that as an excuse to be a NaNo rebel this year. Instead of a novel, I’m going to get my 50,000 words in a bunch of short stories. Hopefully one of these will develop into something good enough to turn in on the 20th.
And I may or may not post them here as I complete them. I probably won’t ‘cause they’ll probably suck, but who knows?
I also have to remember to actually update my wordcount on the NaNo site. For some reason, I’m really bad at doing that consistently.
ONWARD!
Cannot wait to register for classes!
Two things:
- I can graduate in May!
- I might not have to take an Engineering Outreach class after all! I talked to my advisor and told him of my issue, and he looked through the course list and said that he could probably petition to get MATH 420 to substitute for one of the other classes I need (all the other ones offered are through Engineering Outreach). MATH 420 is Complex Variables. According to my advisor, it’s basically calculus with complex numbers. That…sounds…AWESOME.
I hope the petition works.
WOO! I’m stoked for next semester.
The name’s Bond. Ionic Bond.
1. Are you in a job that you truly enjoy?
DAMN STRAIGHT. I LOVE my job.
2. If you could do any job in the world what would it be?
I would LOVE to continue teaching stats. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done. But I also wouldn’t mind any job that would get me to Antarctica. Seriously. I would scrub the toilets of the McMurdo station for the rest of my life if I could stay down there.
3. If you could be a character in a novel who would you be?
I love Phileas Fogg. I would love to be Phileas Fogg.
4. When it comes to spending time with those you love, do you think it should be about quality or quantity?
Both, yo. Though quality probably wins out.
5. Is there a job/career you wanted but realized you couldn’t possibly do for one reason or another?
I used to really want to be a chef, but I realized I’d probably be horrible at it because of my anosmia and the fact that my sense of taste is a little messed up because of it. I think I could do it if I’d had a sense of smell/normal sense of taste at one point, but I never have, so yeah.
6. If you could live anywhere in the world or out of this world where would you live?
As stated above, ANTARCTICA! Unless we’re counting “you can travel through time and pick a time/place” as a possibility. Then back to 1650s Germany I go!
7. Where would you most like to visit and who with?
Again, if time travel is an option: I’d like to follow Leibniz in his European adventures.
If not: Cruise tour of the Baltic with my mom!
8. Which skill would you like to learn?
I’d like to be able to play the piano.
9. What made you laugh today?
These damn guys:
4:15, 25:40, and 49:15 especially.
10. What are you looking forward to tomorrow?
Metalocalypse finale!!! I’m excited/nervous/sad it’s going to end.
11. What is your sign and do you believe in horoscopes, etc.?
I’m an Aquarius, fools! I think horoscopes are fun to think about, but I don’t really believe in them.
12. If you could change one thing about your life thus far, what would it be?
I would be smarter? Does that count?
13. If there was one charity you could give a huge contribution to, which charity would it be and why?
I would make my OWN charity! Or something like this.
16. Why do you blog?
Haha. Because it’s become a very important part of my life. That’s what happens when you do something daily for 7+ years.
17. Do you have a favorite author?
F. Scott Fitzgerald is a BAMF. I also really like Jules Verne.
18. Can you play any musical instruments?
I can play quite a few wind instruments, yes.
19. What would your ideal car be?
THIS. I love these, I have no idea why.
20. Describe yourself in one short sentence.
“WTF?”
21. What do you look for in a spouse/other half?
I’m not currently looking for a spouse/other half, so I don’t really know. As long as they’re a kind person, I’m not too picky.
22. Worst meal you’ve had?
Hm…I have no idea.
23. What do you do to relax in the evening?
INTERNET! And write, and blog, and play Minecraft.
24. Do you get along with your siblings?
No sibbies!
25. Do you have any regrets?
Don’t even get me started, bro.
Zzzz…
So I pretty much constantly dream about math/numbers now. And what’s frustrating is that it always seems like I’m coming up with these super awesome theories/proofs and then by the time the morning comes I can only remember fragments of them. They’re probably trivial and nonsensical, but it’d be nice to actually see if the stuff my REM-brain’s coming up with is coherent. At least, more coherent than my waking thoughts.
There’s a way you can train yourself to remember your dreams, right?
It’s time for advising!
Which means it’s time for decisions to be made.
So here are some:
- Grad school. It’s going to have to happen again. I am about 99.9999% sure I want to spend the rest of my life teaching stats or doing something stats-related. The best plan for getting a permanent (hopefully tenured) position at some point? Getting a PhD. So…yeah.
- Grad school in Canada. If I’m going, I’m going up there. Reasons include: I’m too much of a coward to re-take the GRE (my old scores are expired), the GRE is dumb anyway and Canada seems to know that, and I have a chance of getting accepted at UBC again and I pretty much constantly daydream about walking Vancouver.
- If I don’t get into grad school (likely), the plan is to stay here and keep teaching for another year (Dr. Williams told me that they’d likely have work for me), get a few more degrees (I’m pretty close to two others after the math one), actually STUDY for the GRE, take it, and apply to US schools.
- And if a really good job comes up in the meantime, I’m going for it. I JUST WANNA TEACH STAAAAAAAAATS.
What State Matches Your Personality?
Well this looks entertaining.
GOD NO NOT WEST VIRGINIA!
West Virginia bugs me, man. That shape. UGH.
*Looks at neuroticism ranking* Oh yeah, well okay, then. I guess I am a West Virginia.
Edit: If I change my answer on the last question by one number, I’m a New Mexico. Which isn’t too bad. It’s got that foot thingy on the bottom of it and it’s butt-buddies with Arizona.
(One of these days I need to do a blog about how I feel about the 50 states.)
In Space, No One Can Hear You Transform Linearly
Linear Algebra class has apparently turned into “let’s see how many stupid math puns we can come up with in a 50-minute time period.” Including figuring out the plot to a movie about null spaces.
And then I come home and do this nonsense:
(Yes, I know that’s the symbol for the empty set. It needed something, okay? In the epic movie we’re planning, the empty set saves the day anyway, so there.)
I think I have an idea for my NaNoWriMo endeavors this year now.
(Cater)Pillars of Society
Look at these freaking caterpillars. They look like fluff parties. I want to roll in them.*
(Pictures from here and here, respectively)
These are asp caterpillars (or puss caterpillars) and they grow up to look like these badass moths (flannel moths, they’re called):
(Pic from here)
And I found a video! Tell me this isn’t the cutest thing you’ve ever seen. It’s like a sentient cotton ball.
I love these. They’re Donald Trump in insect form.
*Not a good idea. Their soft-looking coats are actually a ton of spines full of skin-irritating venom.
OH GOODNESS
I AM SO HAPPY
YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW
Edit: AAAAAAAAA SOME OF HIS LETTERS ARE ON THERE! I AM FREAKING OUT WAODIFUALGHALAHGLDGDGHH
Edit 2: BINARY!!!!!
It’s “Let’s Nonsensically Answer a Survey” Time!
THREE NAMES YOU GO BY:
1. Claudia.
2. Fack (long story).
3. Professor Mahler (which is definitely not what I am, but I still kinda like it when my students call me that, haha).
THREE SCREEN NAMES YOU HAVE HAD:
1. AntarcticaFreak.
2. LadyLeibniz.
3. Nailpit.
THREE THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
1. Uh…
2. Um…
3. Huh.
THREE THINGS YOU DON’T LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
1. Lots.
2. Of.
3. Things.
THREE PARTS OF YOUR HERITAGE:
1. Basque.
2. German.
3. Times New Roman.
THREE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU:
1. Dragonflies.
2. THE FUTURE!
3. My own inadequacies.
THREE OF YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS:
1. Glasses.
2. Ostentatious clothes.
3. A(n) (un)healthy level of anxiety.
THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE SONGS AT PRESENT:
1. Doin’ It Right – Daft Punk
2. Chocolate – The 1975
3. Madness – Muse
THREE THINGS YOU WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP (love is a given):
1. Leibniz.
2. Leibniz.
3. Leibniz.
TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE (in no particular order)
1. I’m not a big Harry Potter fan.
2. I have a Twitter account.
3. I would move back to Tucson if I could.
THREE THINGS YOU JUST CAN’T DO:
1. Relax.
2. Touch my toes.
3. Smell.
THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO REALLY BADLY RIGHT NOW:
1. Go walking in Vancouver.
2. Know what my plans are for the next year.
3. Blast my music really, really loudly.
THREE CAREERS [YOU’VE CONSIDERED]:
1. Statistician.
2. Psychometrician.
3. Anything that would get me down to Antarctica.
THREE PLACES YOU WANT TO GO ON VACATION/HOLIDAY:
1. Antarctica.
2. Vancouver, believe it or not.
3. Stockholm.
THREE FUTURE POTENTIAL KIDS’ NAMES:
1. Victor.
2. Scott.
3. Bottomless Potamus.
THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE:
1. Get a novel (or something) published.
2. Become a tenured professor somewhere and teach stats FULL TIME!
3. Go visit Leibniz’ archives in Hanover. IT IS A NEEEEED!
For those of you who don’t frequent Tumblr…
Here’s this glorious video that’s currently making the rounds:
I needed something to brighten my day. This was it.
(Don’t read the description until it’s over.)
TWSB: It’s Like Trying to Find a Needle in an Ionosphere
So raise your hand if you knew that in 1963, MIT launched 480,000,000 copper needles into space with the purpose of creating an artificial ionosphere.
‘Cause I sure as hell didn’t.
Wiki: “At the height of the Cold War, all international communications were either sent through undersea cables or bounced off the natural ionosphere. The United States Military was concerned that the Soviets might cut those cables, forcing the unpredictable ionosphere to be the only means of communication with overseas forces.”
And the US Military is not the US Military unless they take DRASTIC MEASURES! So up went the millions of needles. Welcome to Project West Ford.
And what makes it even better is that THEY SCREWED IT UP THE FIRST TIME SO THEY HAD TO DO IT AGAIN. “After a failed first attempt launched on October 21, 1961 (the needles failed to disperse), the project was eventually successful with the May 9, 1963 launch.”
Worldwide criticism? Yup. “British radio astronomers, together with optical astronomers and the Royal Astronomical Society, protested this action. The Soviet newspaper Pravda also joined the protests under the headline “U.S.A. Dirties Space.””
But some good did come of it: all the protesting eventually resulted in a provision about consultation in the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.
As of 2008, there were still clumps of needles out there. The needles occasionally re-enter, just as they have been since the start of the whole thing.
Just…wow.
YES
FINALLY.
SPRING SCHEDULE.
MY LIFE MAKES SENSE AGAIN.
*Spends an hour perusing all pages*
The good:
- Nothing conflicts with my teaching schedule! (I already knew that, but it’s good nonetheless.)
- I can pull off a Writing minor if I want to.
- ADVANCED CALCULUS I!!
- If I miraculously don’t botch things up, I can graduate in the spring.
The bad:
- No History of Math. (I already knew that too, but it’s bad nonetheless.)
- To pull off said Writing minor, I have to take Beginning Poetry. *gags in iambic pentameter*
- Since I’m “off” by a semester (I took calc III over the summer), I have to take Advanced Calculus I via Engineering Outreach. That means that it’ll cost me about $800 for that single class.
- I don’t think I’ll be able to pull off one of my signature “all my classes are in one solid block and my week is symmetrical, look at all this sweet, sweet homework time” schedules.
So yay?
MY SPECIFIC TYPE OF MIGRAINE AURA HAS A NAME!
I shouldn’t be surprised by this, of course, but it’s nice to finally put a name to it.
The aura I get before I have a migraine is called a scintillating scotoma, which is a super cool name for a super crappy experience. What happens is this (this is actually so accurate it’s scary):
Then it spreads to the periphery and then, for me, everything goes black for up to half an hour. However, from what I’ve (hastily) read (over the past few hours), the total blindness thing doesn’t seem to be very common.
That freaking flashing color thing, though…
WELL, CRAP
Today was the first Saturday in about a month where I didn’t have like 2,000 things to do. So I had it all planned out:
- General “screw around” time in the morning
- Long walk once it got dark or, if inspiration struck, slow but longer walk on the treadmill desk + writing
- FALLOUT 3. YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW BIG OF AN URGE I HAVE TO PLAY THIS AGAIN ALL OF A SUDDEN
- Drawing!
- “Screw around time”: evening edition
So what did I end up doing?
Sitting uselessly in my chair waiting for my DAMN VISION TO COME BACK THANKS TO AN ALL-DAY MIGRAINE AURA.
Granted, sitting and listening to music is an enjoyable thing to do, and I did get a few ideas for my long story in Fiction (as stupid as they were), but seriously? I had a schedule, brain, you rebellious little fart bucket.
I guess I should be glad, though, that it happened on a day where I didn’t really need to get anything done rather than on a day where I had stuff to do ASAP.
But still.
WTF, mate?
EXPLAIN THIS TO ME: how in the hell did I get a 103% on that probability test?
Seriously, how?
Instead of making like two dozen incredibly stupid mistakes, I only made one incredibly stupid mistake, and then got one of the bonus questions right.
I think the universe is broken. I certainly didn’t deserve a 103%, that’s for sure.
Next week we’ll see how the Proofs test went.
NOW IT’S TIME FOR A NICE LONG WALK!
(Unrelated side note: every single one of my Amazon “based on your browsing history” suggestions is a book about Leibniz. I have trained you well, Amazon.)
FUUUUUUUTUUUUUUUUURE!
So these are great.
“France in the Year 2000 (XXI century) – a series of futuristic pictures by Jean-Marc Côté and other artists issued in France in 1899, 1900, 1901 and 1910. Originally in the form of paper cards enclosed in cigarette/cigar boxes and, later, as postcards, the images depicted the world as it was imagined to be like in the year 2000. There are at least 87 cards known that were authored by various French artists, the first series being produced for the 1900 World Exhibition in Paris.”
Favorites:
I wish Zeppelins were still a thing. Or rigid airships in general. ‘Cause who doesn’t want another excuse to work “rigid airship” into their daily vocab? Sure, Hindenburg was a disaster, but…rigid airship.
(Note: I just read that such airships were also referred to as big rigids. I want “Big Rigid” on my gravestone somewhere.)
I like how that train in the background is about to mow into like 30 people. WE DON’T NEED NO TRACKS IN THE FUTURE!
I’m confused by this one. Have we bred seahorses to be these spiny giants of the sea or have we come up with a way to shrink ourselves down?
Swiffer’s newest model.
“Stop in the name of aerodynamics!”
They predicted the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade float!
Accurate.
Accurate (at least in Tucson).
Why is this not a thing?
2000s, you’re lettin’ us down!
TWSB: International Moon Station
Another demonstration of just how much “space” is in space.
Edit: Tumblr has led me to this wonderful (and slightly terrifying) video…
…as well as this info:
“What if the moon was the same distance away as the ISS? … While we think of the International Space Station as being, well, way out there in space, it’s not that far. Only around 400 km up, actually. If the Earth was a basketball, then the ISS would only be about a centimeter off its surface.
“On average, our moon resides 384,400 km away from Earth. … Even at that incredible distance, the moon can warp the liquid on the surface of Earth! Which brings me to a major problem with this video … in order to see this, we’d all be dead, and Earth would be very messed up indeed.”
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