@dneary@mathstodon.xyz
@dneary@mathstodon.xyz avatar

dneary

@dneary@mathstodon.xyz

I work for Ampere Computing, but I love maths! And yes, since I call it maths not math you know I'm not American - born and raised in Ireland, currently in the US.

Maths stuff: B.Sc. in maths, NUI Galway '96, M.Eng. in EE (Fractal methods in image analysis and compression), DCU '00, competed in contest maths all through HS and college, taught High School Contest Math at the local Art of Problem Solving Academy in Lexington, MA.

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evan, to random
@evan@cosocial.ca avatar

It's perfectly OK for Palestinian Americans and other Arab Americans to organize and lead protests in the US.

dneary,
@dneary@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@evan ❤️ Also *-Americans, and just *s (non-citizen residents, naturalized citizens, visa holders...)

evan, to random
@evan@cosocial.ca avatar

I do not consent to instruction via Socratic method.

dneary,
@dneary@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@evan I debated some attempt at humour like "What do you understand by "the Socratic method"?" but have thought better of it.

christianp, to random
@christianp@mathstodon.xyz avatar

Dutch people: we are watching a livestream of koningsdag in Amsterdam.
What's the deal? I have no idea what is happening

dneary,
@dneary@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@christianp Guessing from the name, but... A celebration of the royal family?

evan, (edited ) to random
@evan@cosocial.ca avatar

"Displaying Palestinian symbols like the keffiyeh, watermelon, or Palestinian flag is antisemitic."

#EvanPoll #poll

dneary,
@dneary@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@evan Strongly disagree, but... Watermelon? I didn't realize that was a Palestinian symbol!

evan, to random
@evan@cosocial.ca avatar

We saw Dune 2 tonight. It was really good.

dneary,
@dneary@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@evan It is amazing! I am reading Children of Dune now... Dune 3 and Dune 4 will be amazing if they get made.

dneary,
@dneary@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@evan When is "the end"? And what is sideways? Cause I felt like it went pretty sideways at the end of Messiah - and as we get closer to the end of Children, the whole Alia/twins/Corrino/Bene Gesserit/Preacher pentagon is getting pretty wild.

dneary,
@dneary@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@evan Crafting this toot without spoilers was a serious challenge!

evan, to random
@evan@cosocial.ca avatar

I am holding onto hope for de-escalation. #CeasefireNow

dneary,
@dneary@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@evan I have to believe that neither side want an escalation... The same was probably true in 1914, though.

dneary, to random
@dneary@mathstodon.xyz avatar

An oldie but goodie (for both poking fun at how superior some mathematicians feel, and for subverting expectations about the waitress):

Two mathematicians, let's call them Ernie and Burt, are going out for a meal, and are discussing how the average person knows very little about maths. Ernie believed that the general population didn't know any maths beyond basic arithmetic, and Burt was standing up for them saying that Ernie underestimated the general public.

While Ernie was in the toilet, Burt called over the waitress. He told her that he would ask her a question in a few minutes, and she should answer "(x^3 + x^2)". She looked confused, but said OK and wandered off.

After Ernie had returned, Burt started the topic up again. He said "I'll prove that you are underestimating the general public. I'll bet you $20 that our waitress can answer a basic calculus question." Ernie scoffs, and agrees to the bet. They call over the waitress, and Burt asks her: "Can you settle a bet between my friend and I: What do you get when you integrate (3x^2+2x)?" The girl thought for a second and said "(x^3 + x^2)". "There you go!" said Burt. "The common folk know more than you think!" as Ernie forked over a $20.

The waitress, meanwhile, turned around and walked off to the kitchen and muttered "plus C, idiot" under her breath.

kushal, to linux
@kushal@toots.dgplug.org avatar

ssh always allowed remote code execution. #linux

dneary,
@dneary@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@kushal Yes, but when it's by design, it doesn't count as an exploit.

evan, (edited ) to random
@evan@cosocial.ca avatar

How often do you use a dating app?

dneary,
@dneary@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@evan Unless you consider calendars to be dating apps... Never 😁

dneary, to random
@dneary@mathstodon.xyz avatar

Thanks to Michael Penn for the surprising but excellent method of approximating (\pi):
[ \lim_{n \to \infty} \int_0^1 \frac{x^{4n}(1-x)^{4n}}{x^2+1} , dx = 0 ]
Taking small values of (n) we get:
[ \frac{1}{1240} < \int_0^1 \frac{x^{4}(1-x)^{4}}{x^2+1}, dx = \frac{22}{7} - \pi < \frac{1}{630} ]
[ \frac{1}{437580} < \int_0^1 \frac{x^{8}(1-x)^{8}}{x^2+1}, dx = 4\pi - \frac{188684}{15015} < \frac{1}{218790} ]

I had never come across this before! It's wonderful!

atoponce, to random
@atoponce@fosstodon.org avatar

Here's a fun way to comment your C# source code: start it with "https://"

Yup. A URL.

The C# compiler sees "https:" as an unused go-to label and "//" starts a comment for the rest of the line

https://this.is.totally.a.valid.comment.in.c#

dneary,
@dneary@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@atoponce Does this work with C or C++?

evan, (edited ) to random
@evan@cosocial.ca avatar

"An individual should be able to run an ActivityPub server for themself and their friends and family."

dneary,
@dneary@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@evan I definitely made the distinction between "should be allowed to" and "should be able to". But I voted as if the question was the former.

christianp, to random
@christianp@mathstodon.xyz avatar

oh joy, the spam has started again, and they've slightly changed the format

dneary,
@dneary@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@christianp Thank you for your work on the spam whack-a-mole.

christianp, to random
@christianp@mathstodon.xyz avatar

Telling time is hard: GitHub is describing November 30, 2022 as "2 years ago".
It's more than one year, yes, but I wouldn't go as far as two. Would "15 months ago" work?

This is like how you have to decide when to stop giving your baby's age in months and start using years.

dneary,
@dneary@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@christianp I would say "over a year" for that, "under 2 years" for 18-22 months, "2 years ago" for 22-26 months ago.

christianp, to random
@christianp@mathstodon.xyz avatar

Here's a sequence of integers that isn't in the OEIS. I think it has to be a triangle read by rows:

1
2,1
2,3,1
4,2,3,1
4,2,3,1,5
6,4,2,3,1,5
6,4,2,3,1,7,5
6,4,8,2,3,1,7,5
6,4,8,2,9,3,1,7,5

Can you work out the rule for making the next row from the last?
Are there any patterns that you can spot?

As ever, I can give hints at different levels on demand. Please put any potential solutions under a content warning.

dneary,
@dneary@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@christianp Are the numbers added in alphabetical order in a language other than English?

evan, (edited ) to random
@evan@cosocial.ca avatar

Of these ways of learning, which is best for you?

#EvanPoll #poll

dneary,
@dneary@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@evan Tends to be a mix for me - reading, video, web search, and hands on keyboard/pen in hand trying to do the thing in some mix.

ianbicking, to random
@ianbicking@hachyderm.io avatar

Here's a challenge for my fellow Americans: if you are against Trump, then you should be pro-Biden. Not with handwringing and pearl clutching as though it's some terrible chore. Just be pro-Biden, like "yay, go Biden!"

This reluctance, this desperate Leftist need to hold onto contrarianism and cynicism is fucking childish. If you say the election is important then do the fucking deed and CHANGE YOUR OWN MIND.

It's also super fucking easy! I'm pro-Biden! Genuinely!

dneary,
@dneary@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@ianbicking At this point in the election cycle, I would just like to see some debate - a healthy Democratic primary would be good for the party and good for the country, I think. Probably a little late to hope for that now.

dneary,
@dneary@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@ubernostrum @ianbicking There are a few counterexamples. Reagan vs Ford in '76, LBJ in '68 - yes, there are qualifying circumstances: LBJ was fighting a war that was particularly unpopular with Democrats, and Ford wasn't really seen as an incumbent. But I think an 82 year old candidate is a pretty big qualifier for Biden.

dneary,
@dneary@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@ubernostrum @ianbicking Also, Carter in '80 was seen as a vulnerable incumbent, and he got a pretty good fight from Teddy Kennedy. Your idea of norms are coloured by us mostly having two-term Presidents since 1980.

dneary,
@dneary@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@ubernostrum @ianbicking It is weird - Gavin Newsome is almost fighting a Primary campaign without entering Primaries - ensuring his profile stays high, taking out ad buys in MAGA states. It's like he's positioning himself to be the nominee if anything prevents Biden from contesting the election (like, say, a health scare).

dneary,
@dneary@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@ubernostrum @ianbicking Why suspicious? We gain the ability as an electorate to have a public debate about what we want from our leaders.

Some very smart Democratic strategists are arguing that Biden is too old and both the country and the Democratic party would be better served by a younger candidate. It would be nice for the electorate to say.

I'm reminded of that old Boss Tweed line - "I don't care who does the voting, as long as I get to do the nominating."

dneary,
@dneary@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@ubernostrum @ianbicking Two I've heard be vocal about this on the Dem side, are James Carville and David Axelrod in the "party strategist" segment. Political commentators like Nate Silver, David Gergen, Harry Enten, and Mark Leibowitz have said as much. This is not a fringe opinion.

dneary,
@dneary@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@ubernostrum @ianbicking I feel like we're at the end of useful discussion here. I don't appreciate the implication that I'm a bad/disloyal Democrat by saying Biden's age is an issue. And if Kamala Harris wants to be President, I'd like her to primary against other candidates like Noem, Klobuchar, Newsome, Inslee, Booker, ... Yes, she would be a younger President, but that's not the only criterion I care about.

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