impendia

Anyway, I disagree with you: Japan is still a miracle in terms of the quality and service you get for the money. I saw this many times over.

Perhaps not in Kyoto, or in the most touristed areas of Tokyo. Or in whatever random place got featured in some anime, or whatnot.

The article mentions Yamaguchi, Toyama, Morioka, etc., and I definitely agree -- there are tons of places off the tourist beaten-track, and any of them is worth a visit.

On my recent trip I was in Kobe, which unlike Yamaguchi etc. I expect the average HN reader has heard of. But even there, there was little trace of overtourism.

Alex Kerr lamented all the way back in 1993 (in his book Lost Japan) that Kyoto had essentially lost its soul. And if you go to the areas most commonly seen on Instagram and TikTok, that's probably partially true. But even in Kyoto, go off the beaten path a little, and you will find much to delight you!

Perhaps ironically, the less the app claims to do, the more likely I am to be interested.

I've only signed up for a paid mental health app subscription once -- and that was an app designed by a well-known psychologist with both an M.D. and a Ph.D., and even then only after reading his book.

For example, suppose that I were to claim that the universe is exactly one hundred years old. George Washington, Genghis Khan, Julius Caesar, dinosaurs, etc. are all figments of our collective imagination.

If you deny the validity of research that makes conclusions about the past, on the grounds that such claims can't be tested or falsified -- then have you left yourself any means of making a counterargument?

That said: when I was younger, being a nerd was uncool. To out yourself as one was to take a social risk, and it makes sense that tight-knit communities formed.

These days, entrepreneurship and the tech industry have acquired something of a social cachet -- perhaps because there's boatloads of money in it now. I've read that "geek nights" have attracted a bunch of hangers-on, who like to talk big but haven't necessarily invested their time into learning anything difficult.

Whether fairly or not, you're probably being taken for such a person.

I've been in an analogous situation, and it sucked. I feel for you. That said, to echo what others have said -- if you're going to try to make cold contacts like this, you probably need to either lead with a specific request, or else approach in such a way that makes it clear that you're bringing something interesting to the table.

Return of the Obra Dinn was a 2018 mystery puzzle game, where you have to figure out how everyone died in an ill-fated voyage at sea. Amazing game.

I searched Reddit for "games like Obra Dinn", and this led me to Case of the Golden Idol, a 2022 game with similar mechanics. The developers were quite open about being inspired and influenced by Obra Dinn -- and they ended up creating something in the same genre, but very much their own creation, with their own flavor. And also very enjoyable.

Originality is nice, but I'm not at all convinced it's a prerequisite for quality.

Recently, I found a gym with group training classes which I absolutely love. They have a great sense of community, and now that I've found them I find it easy to motivate myself to show up and work out.

I have the good fortune that I can afford the $150/month fees. Not everyone can.

As others have noted (the author apparently "doesn't believe in irrational numbers"), this press release is laughable and utterly absurd. Wildberger did not "solve algebra's oldest problem", or anything remotely close to that.

I checked out phys.org -- I assumed this would be the webpage of some prominent national society or something -- but it turns out to be some randos that have a publishing outfit.

I did, however, look up the original paper. Unfortunately it seems to be paywalled, although I have access through my university.

The actual paper seems to for the most part be sober, legitimate, and potentially interesting (albeit on the same scale that many many other published math papers are interesting). Except for a bit of hyperbole in the introduction, it doesn't traffic in exaggerated claims. Seems to be a legitimate effort, somewhat off the beaten track.

I went to the University of Wisconsin for grad school, and I knew lots of people there who went to work for Epic.

I confess that, before I applied, I imagined that Wisconsin was nothing but cow pastures and football. I imagine this sentiment is shared my many young job-seekers outside the Midwest. Now, having lived there for four years, I have to say that UW is an amazing university, and Madison is my favorite city in the US.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/11/12/why-doctors-ha...

It seems to be the classic curse of enterprise software: it's the bosses you need to keep happy, not the users.

I work as a university professor and educational software also tends to suck, for what I assume is the same reason.

Or, if when I click the unsubscribe link, I am prompted to log in to an account which I never created, using a password that I do not have --

Then, with apologies to Francis Ford Coppola, my reaction is to mark as spam with extreme prejudice.

When the day comes that I have to replace my 1999 Camry, I will be sure to buy a car without software with this capability. I consider any software that permits ads to be irreparably broken beyond repair.

If I can't obtain such a car, then my clever solution will be to smash the infotainment system with a hammer. If that renders the car undriveable, I will start walking everywhere.

Some things are worth being hostile to. For example, I don't see how one can read or talk about the war in Ukraine, without becoming extremely angry at Putin and fervently wishing to see his regime brought down.

But it is not healthy to spend all of your life angry, so you might pick and choose a couple of things you care about (especially if you can take action), and mostly try to tune out the rest. Unless you have a very good reason to do otherwise, I wouldn't look for a workaround, I'd rather either engage with someone as they are or not pay attention.

If someone is hostile to you, then except in rare circumstances I'm not sure I'd recommend engaging with them at all.

What do you mean by "foundational"?

I love Calculus Made Easy, but in my opinion the reason it's so good is that it doesn't try to be foundational. It relies on quick and dirty tricks -- especially, treating dy/dx as a fraction when it can't be formally defined as such, but where doing so makes the subject much more intuitive and easy. It's not really a good foundation for further study, you need something that doesn't cut corners for that, but it's fantastic for what it is!

My favorite foundational book is Linear Algebra by Jim Hefferon:

https://hefferon.net/linearalgebra/

It is free, and I've seen the author on HN occasionally. It's foundational in the sense that it builds up the subject brick by brick, assuming the minimum realistic prerequisites needed, and it does an outstanding job of this.

But it's a slow read, essentially by design. If you want something quicker, you might try Interactive Linear Algebra by Margalit and Rabinoff:

https://textbooks.math.gatech.edu/ila/

Again free, with lots of widgets to play with.

Some other textbooks I really like:

Epp's Discrete Mathematics is fantastic. The newest edition is astronomically expensive, so go looking for used copies of previous editions.

Carter's Visual Group Theory is tremendous fun. Once again not foundational per se, but if you want to learn what group theory is all about without slogging through lots of formalities, that's a great choice. I'd say that roughly it's in the spirit of Calculus Made Easy.

Also, if you enjoy poker, check out Dan Harrington's books on the subject. In the course of explaining hold'em strategy, they will teach you lots about probability, counting, expected value, and game theory in an applied setting. They're fantastically written.

If you can't find an in-person one, the Reddit community is pretty good, with lots of useful posts and advice

https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/

Personally, I'd happily blame Microsoft, but the practical significance of this fact is nil.

I am in the very small minority of users who will sometimes complain to our IT when Microsoft forces shit down our throats. But I do this because it feels good, not because I imagine any realistic probability that doing so will make a difference.

Walking is not merely some sort of hobby. It is transportation, a means of getting from one place to another -- often the most convenient and pleasant means. And transportation infrastructure certainly falls under the purview of local governments.

On the one hand, yes, this is absolutely batshit insane.

On the other hand, college sports are enormously popular; football games regularly play to sold out crowds of over 50,000, and during football season there will be games on TV all weekend (not just local ones). They bring in a lot of revenue and publicity for the university -- and the latter (debatably?) helps attract students to apply.

I knew that salaries at public universities are public in many states, so thought to google it -- but the details can vary.

Meanwhile, most university "enterprise" software is a festering pile of shit.

I'm very surprised by the extortion attempt, but sadly a massive overreaction doesn't much surprise me.

Who? As in not "they" or "the university", but who within the university? Can you tell where the directive is coming from?

If this comes from, say, the Provost's Office then this probably can't be handled internally. (The position of Provost is the #2 position at a university, and the provost usually runs the show while the President or Chancellor goes schmoozing with donors.)

But if it's coming from the Registrar's Office, then the Registrar doesn't have that much power internally, and you might be able to fight this decision within the university. What they did is not only brazenly immoral, it is also a tremendous legal liability for UW, and it should and might be a firing offense for whoever is responsible. And quite frankly no matter what happens I would seriously consider hiring an attorney (you might find one who will work on contingency).

You might speak with any professors in the department you have a good relationship with; I would be very surprised if they were sympathetic to this decision.

You might also talk with the university ombudsman, Dean of Students, etc. -- although I would be a little bit cautious and polite here. Just calmly describe the situation and ask what you should do in this situation. Hopefully (but this is very far from certain), they will calmly offer to intervene on your behalf, and then they will go ballistic behind closed doors and absolutely rake the Registrar over the coals. In any case, be poker faced, don't fully trust them, and avoid committing to a particular course of action if you don't have to.

Finally, here's an amusing hack. Salaries at UW are public record. If you want to find out how important any individual person is in the hierarchy, look up how much money they make. It's a fairly accurate barometer.

https://fiscal.wa.gov/Staffing/Salaries

Universities are not monoliths, and the relationships between different power centers are usually mistrustful at best.

Best of luck to you.

From the resignation statement, linked to in the article:

> In 2023, Elsevier unilaterally took full control over the JHE EB scientific structure and composition through their requirement that all JHE AEs be recontracted annually. This action runs counter to their assurances that AE contracts would not undermine our longstanding principle of exercising editorial control of all scholarly decisions, including recruitment and retention of the expertise necessary to oversee the review process. (...)

I had believed that Elsevier's business model was to collect golden eggs for as long as we the geese were willing to lay them. Seems to have worked out quite well for them so far.

Why is it potentially in Elsevier's interest to reach more tightly for the reins? Is this just executives being clueless, or is this some kind of clever financial strategy which I'm failing to appreciate?

Having been to Sapporo and Kumamoto -- and many other medium-size Japanese cities -- this attitude can seem awful silly when you're walking around their downtowns. But it can be a self-fulfilling prophecy: if people in charge of "opportunities" leave for the biggest cities, then that's what matters.

Indeed, on my trip to Kumamoto I was visiting a fellow academic, and when I got there he told me he was trying to move so he could be closer to his family in Tokyo. He has since moved to Nagoya, and apparently is happier there.

It's not a chain establishment, and overall I really like the owner/head trainer and the mood he sets. I'm living in a town that's a bit too laid back and slow-paced for my taste overall, whereas this guy acts like he has twenty cups of coffee every day -- while managing to remember everybody's name and coming around to help you if you're having difficulties.

When I was a kid, I was constantly being told how much much "potential" I had. I have accomplished a lot, and when I was in my twenties and thirties it was easy to imagine that all the things I hadn't accomplished yet were still ahead of me.

Now, I've been faced with a reckoning: for sure, many great things still lie ahead, but I won't be able to achieve all of my aspirations.

One thing that worked for me: seek professional help. I sought out a therapist and am still working with her. When I developed insomnia, I tried pretty much everything (medication, CBT, sleep study etc.) until I eventually found a medication that worked. This took years, but things are better now.

Also, avoid the "sunk cost" fallacy. For years I practiced at a yoga studio which was excellent, but the vibe was a little bit off for me and I wasn't enjoying myself. I just sucked it up and kept going. But after Covid I decided to try something different, and ended up finding group fitness classes which I love.

Good luck!

In particular, I'm not making any sort of logical claim -- rather, I know many of the people who read and write these papers, and I have a pretty good idea of their taste in mathematical writing.

The blog post seems to be asserting a rather extreme point of view, in that even the example I gave is (arguably!) unacceptable to present without any proof. That's what I'm providing a counterpoint to.

Math research papers are written for other specialists in the field. Sometimes too few details are provided; indeed I commonly gripe about this when asked to do peer review; but to truly provide all the details would make papers far, far longer.

Here is an elementary example, which could be worked out by anyone with a good background in high school math. Prove the following statement: there exist constants C, X > 0 such that for every real number x > X, we have

log(x^2 + 1) + sqrt(x) + x/exp(sqrt(4x + 3)) < Cx.

i.e. the left-side is big-O of the right.

This flavor of statement comes up all the time in analytic number theory (my subject), would be regarded as obvious to any specialist, and in a paper would be invariably stated without proof.

To come up with a complete, rigorous proof would be long, and not interesting. No professional would want to read one.

I agree this attitude comes with some tradeoffs, but they do seem manageable.

I can invite a colleague at another university, whom I might consider an old friend even though I haven't spoken to them in ages -- to come give a talk in my department. Very often they'll agree to come; we'll roll out the red carpet for them, and they and I will have a wonderful time.

That said, this is far from universal in academia, and many academics do enjoy small talk and prefer to keep in touch regularly.

I don't think any sort of relationship can be called "bad" or "good" in the abstract -- but a lot of people consider transactional relationships "bad" in the sense that they don't like them. And, if you want to build relationships with people, often you have to do it on their terms, or at least try to meet them halfway.

I'm someone who very highly values social connections, but finds it a little bit awkward to just "shoot the shit". I really enjoy interacting with people based on shared experiences, of whatever type -- but as you say, many people really enjoy interactions which are lower-key.

You're not wrong, but interacting with others on their terms rather than yours can be a bit challenging at times, and easy to get wrong.

https://mathoverflow.net/questions/73492/how-misleading-is-i...