Tilthouse

Apparently, this essay, A Mathematician's Lament by Paul Lockhart (original link is slashdotted, this is hopefully the same revision of the essay), was written in 2002,  But I was unfamiliar with it.  it made the rounds today because Scott Aaronson just had it pointed out to him by a student, and his blog post about it was on Slashdot.

It's a scathing indictment of "math" eduction, pretty much from top to bottom.  I am basically agree, with the same reservations as Scott Aaronson.  Go read the critique and the whole damn essay (yes, it's 25 pages long).

The essay also makes a point that I have tried -- much more clumsily -- to make many times.

One reason people cannot fathom mathematics as an interesting subject is that they have never had a math class. They have have more and more complicated arithmetic classes. And math is not arithmetic. Arithmetic is basically accounting.  No one thinks accounting is interesting.  Especially mathematicians.

It is unfortunate that in an average curriculum, math is hidden away until you are beyond your calculus/ODE sequence of classes.

PS: I used to say this sort of this when I was being a stuck-up little snot about "real" math, etc. But I don't mean it that way at all. It's not about "higher", or "pure" math, or it being somehow more "advanced."  I've been humbled many times since then.  I mean it in the same sense as the original essay.

And the quest begins again...

So I have a new machine (new model 15" MBP), courtesy of the new work, and would like to find a new bag. The old Samsomite backpack is just getting old, and I'm currently tired of the backpack form factor, so I'm looking a messenger bags. It needs to be able to hold:

• 15" MacbookPro
• Power brick and cables for same
• iPod
• Camera, plus card readers, power charger, and memory stick case
• Deck of bridge size playing cards
• Eye glasses cleaner and cloth
• Passport, cards not kept in wallet, etc.
• Pens and such
• Place for keys
• Optionally: room for a couple of technical books and/or binders
• Optionally: compact umbrella (which I currently carry, even though it doesn't rain often)

Ideally, it would be small, but then, I would also like a pony.  Or a convertible.

I like the look of the vertical messenger bags, but am worried about the space tradeoff.  I'm impressed with the PacSafe bags, and they make a vertical bag for laptops -- 13" laptops that is.  The STM Alley and the like are also possibilities.  (Apparently Australia is the only country allowed to design messenger bags these days...)

If I go for function over size, the Empire Builder from Tom Bihn must be one of the best reviewed bags I've ever seen.

Then there's the going old school idea.

Anyone have a favorite laptop bag?  Or one to avoid?

Monkey see, monkey do. Ah, "glorious" Photo Booth.app.



Take a picture of yourself right now.
don't change your clothes, don't fix your hair...just take a picture.
post that picture with NO editing.
post these instructions with your picture.

I don't forward a lot of email around, but this dKos diary, Students: Watch Out for Lying Voter Registrars, needs to be read by as may college students as possible.

If you can be drafted at 18, be sent overseas to kill and die for your country, you should be able to cast a ballot. That rationale got the voting age in the United States lowered from 21 to 18 in 1971 when the 26th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified. And ever since, despite a Supreme Court ruling in 1979, many county registrars have been illegally doing their best to block students from registering and voting in the towns and cities where they attend college.

Those efforts include making utterly false claims of consequences befalling students who register to vote at their college address.

This brand of voter suppression is happening again in 2008. So, if you’re a student and the local authorities are telling you that you can’t vote in your college town and warning of dire consequences if you do, don’t fall for it. And report it.

Please forward this every college or university student you know and ask them to send it to their friends.

I'm hoping a better candidate than I will start a viral Facebook group.

In the meantime, this was great:

If they IM'd: Obama's VP Prospects

Also: best comment I've read all day:

'He' s gonna drunk-text the nation around midnight. It'll say "my vp pic is hak jfjdj"'

Just felt the strongest quake I've yet experienced: a 5.8 (preliminary) magnitude centered near Chino Hills in Los Angeles county. I was in a tall building, so I probably felt a big stronger to me and lasted longer.

http://tinyurl.com/67pu5h

This morning's keynote with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA08) featured a surprise: Vice President Al Gore showed up. Very cool. Gore rocked the crowd. Even Nancy seemed genuinely excited about his visit.

On a more bizarre, but interesting note, Bob freakin' Barr is here (he's actually attending the "Races to Watch" panel, a couple of tables over from me).

Plans finally come together. Very convenient and inexpensive housing: secured!

So I'll be at Netroots Nation this week in Austin, Texas.

Via BoingBoing, Where the Hell is Matt?

Happy Birthday, sweetennui! Any many, many more!

Via Calculated Risk:

Americans drove less in March 2008, continuing a trend that began last November, according to estimates released today from the Federal Highway Administration.

...

The FHWA’s “Traffic Volume Trends” report, produced monthly since 1942, shows that estimated vehicle miles traveled (VMT) on all U.S. public roads for March 2008 fell 4.3 percent as compared with March 2007 travel. This is the first time estimated March travel on public roads fell since 1979. At 11 billion miles less in March 2008 than in the previous March, this is the sharpest yearly drop for any month in FHWA history.

I no longer drive to get to work, but that is a happy coincidence. However, it makes my commute, or relative lack thereof, that much more of a positive factor.

Being awakened by this: http://tinyurl.com/6gcdkl

Well, actually being awakened by the police helicopter hovering over the house and the cops with guns drawn by the fence.

I did not have a car of my own until about 1994-95-ish (I'm not exactly sure, might have been later). My first car was a short-lived disaster: a '89 Ford Taurus (don't remember the model -- it had the largest non-SHO model engine, IIRC). I think within about a year the transmission, rack and pinion steering, oil pump (and therefore, the engine shortly thereafter) all went bad at about the same time.

I soon inherited (literally) a base model '93 Dodge Shadow that lasted a few years. The Dodge Shadow, I have read, was designed to be heavier, longer and wider that necessary for the class of car and amount of interior space provided (for marketing reason, 'cause that's what Chrysler thought Americans wanted at the time). The result was a tiny interior, even relative to total size of the car, and it wheezed pretty hard going uphill. (The Neon replacement model basically fixed these designed-in issues...)

I'm only (knock-on-wood) on my third car now, a now venerable '97 Saturn SL2 purchased in 1999. The car is about 12 years old (I've owned it for more than 9) and has 178,000 miles and change. Not too shabby. It has recently, however, reached that point of finally needing $1300 worth of work plus new tires. I'm not driving it much at all, as I can commute by trolley these days, so I'll probably buy some tires, fix the brakes and finish driving it into the ground.

The SCOTSOC released its ruling IN RE MARRIAGE CASES. The relevant section of the majority opinion reads:

Accordingly, in light of the conclusions we reach concerning the constitutional questions brought to us for resolution, we determine that the language of section 300 limiting the designation of marriage to a union “between a man and a woman” is unconstitutional and must be stricken from the statute, and that the remaining statutory language must be understood as making the designation of marriage available both to opposite-sex and same-sex couples. In addition, because the limitation of marriage to opposite-sex couples imposed by section 308.5 can have no constitutionally permissible effect in light of the constitutional conclusions set forth in this opinion, that provision cannot stand.

It goes on with language instructing county clerks and local officials to enforce the ruling. It appears to me that the ruling was 4-3. The California Supreme Court has 6 Republican appointees and 1 Democratic appointee.

Congratulations to all those couples "crazy" Mayor Gavin Newsom allowed to marry. You are (still) married.

Things Younger Than John McCain.

This list includes: Alaska and Dick Cheney.

It's not often talked about at this point -- maybe it's just accepted wisdom -- but I was reminded last night: Hillary lost her bid for the White House in the early hours of October 11, 2002.

And, almost certainly, so did John McCain.

Not that either fact particularly troubles me.

Smaller crowd than expected due to some last minute cancellations, but that was no big deal -- there was still a reasonable turnout (especially considering a bunch of regulars were out of town, with new baby, etc.).

I will definitely do the "mint julep station" again next year, with enhancements, rather than mix by hand myself.

Henry won the random pool. Go Henry!

The post-race tragedy definitely put a damper on things, understandably. Hopefully, that's not something we'll see repeated soon. While such things are never going to be completely avoidable, the industry has to start looking at its practices, both in breeding and racing, to minimize this sort of thing. In addition to being the right thing to do for the welfare of the horses, I can see this starting to become a serious drag on an already declining industry.

Having said that, my $2 Exacta Box paid off (I now go up to Del Mar in the morning to place a few bets), so that covered all my bets and then some.

... and I don't have my picks yet. Grr...

See folks at before 3pm!

Update: Beer cheese: made!

Tomorrow: the Ham (yes, that's capitalized). And mint julep fixins.

Padres Game Sunned Out

I cannot believe it's May Day tomorrow and the Kentucky Derby is in only three days. This is our biggest party of the year (29 RSVPs, 13 "maybes," and who know how many plan to come but don't reply to their evites -- I know of a number offhand) and we are Not Ready. :)

To get in the spirit of things though, I just wanted to point out that the Post Draw is on, starting about now. It's carried live on TV (usually one of the ESPN's I think), and on the interwebs at the Kentucky Derby website.

Update: That's ESPN2 at 5pm EDT.