If you are a university professor and you boast on social networks about sending your students to other schools for higher degrees, you are essentially acknowledging that you (and your school) are not as good.
2015-03-25
2015-03-07
Why living forever is probably a bad idea
Even if under optimal physical, mental, and social status:
. It will eventually become very boring.
. One cannot participate in evolution and thus becomes inferior (barring technology like dynamic genetic splicing).
. If the universe eventually ends it will drag you down to some unknown horrible state.
Reincarnation, or some form of jumping between different intelligent species, seems much more fun.
🙂
2014-12-08
2014-11-26
Why Silicon Valley does not trust guys in suits
It is a sign of conformity and misplaced priority.
2014-11-25
2014-11-23
Why I never go to class reunions
I want to remember all of you as innocent, beautiful, and hopeful.
2014-09-18
Gecko brothers
Better walk to hell at our free will than ascend to heaven under God’s command.
2014-07-17
Constructive criticism
Criticisms can help us improve, but only if they contain constructive information.
Some examples:
Useless criticism: this result is unacceptable.
Constructive criticism: this result is unacceptable because it contains this specific form of artifacts.
Useless criticism: this presentation is uninteresting.
Constructive criticism: this presentation is uninteresting because I do not care topic X and would rather hear more about topic Y.
As a recipient, I feel excited about constructive criticisms, even if they are harsh or contain personal attacks. In contrast, I usually ignore non-constructive comments because they provide nothing I can act upon.
Non-constructive criticisms are a waste of time at best, and look like whining at worst.
2014-07-11
The best can succeed with those who are not
I thought about James Simons every time Stony Brook was mentioned, so I always assume it is a perennially decent institution. Thus, I was surprised to find out its math department was “lousy” when Simons started there (and he wanted the job and it sounded like fun).
What we can do counts more than whom we are affiliated with.
Those who can succeed only with top people probably are not all that top.
[I would like to know how Simons built the department, aside from the fact that he is brilliant all by himself. Thanks in advance for potential sources.]