My officemate heard me refer to 'A-Top' this morning, which is, I explained, what those 'in the know' call algebraic topology. I wish to share a piece of wisdom with you, that I gleaned from this. If you absolutely must say something like 'Yeah, algebraic topology is like a gang, with secret handshakes and everything; and "A-Top" is the secret password we use to filter out the damnable analysts,' and you find yourself compelled then to add in a silly nasal Comic Store Guy voice in mockery of analysts 'A-Top? What's that? You're so silly. Hey, guys, I can do derivatives! Can I be cool too?' and then giggle and snort for a while, make sure that the analysts next door can't hear you. Furthermore, make sure they can't hear you before you start talking. You don't want to mess with analysts. They're probably bigger than you are.
I swore while lecturing today...Though I was talking pretty quickly at the time, and I'm not sure anyone caught it. I was in the process of writing down a 'big-ass augmented matrix'. I should be more careful what I put up on my course page...When I was making up a tentative schedule of topics for my lectures, there was one day (this Friday) that I just had no idea what I'd do with...So instead of doing the sensible thing and listing it as 'TBA', I wrote 'Where do babies come from?' I didn't realise the students actually looked at that page...They are wily. It has been the source of some speculation on the class discussion board. In my defense, matrix is late Latin for womb...
As soon as I get home, I'll post my latest in-class drawing, a little something I like to call 'Welcome to Alaska'.
UPDATE: Here is my drawing...Mostly it is tentacles, in honour of the movie Hellboy, which was rather fun...It featured some really kick-ass tentacles of unspeakable ancient evil, let me tell you. Also a Machine German; clockwork Nazis have got to be some of the best comic-book-esque villains ever.
Posted by aloysius at April 12, 2004 03:58 PM | TrackBack |