Things to Do While You are Sheltering in Place

[70herald]

You have to wonder too if like so many enforced stay at homes, blizzards, power outages and such, will the hospitals see another usage increase in 9 months..

Either the hospitals or divorce lawyers, or maybe both

 

[GregW]

Thanks Elliot and John.

 

[GregW]

Did you run into Gorn?

Thanks Basil. I ran across 3 younger people doing a photo shoot there. I suggested that they take one shot with the model running and offset in the frame so the photographer could add a Gorn in with photoshop. They didn't have a clue what a Gorn was. :grief: Vasquez is used for a lot of shows. The series West World also shot there.

 

[mikephillips]

I can understand maybe not knowing the original Star Trek episode with the Gorn, but not to even recall Sheldon and his Gorn dreams with it sitting on the couch, in his spot??...

 

[pdplot]

There was a calculus book there. It took me 4 years to pass 2 years of algebra because I never saw any use for it. As a math illiterate, please tell me what is calculus and what is it good for in the real world?

 

[NutmegCT]

There was a calculus book there. It took me 4 years to pass 2 years of algebra because I never saw any use for it. As a math illiterate, please tell me what is calculus and what is it good for in the real world?

My take: it helps us learn to think analytically.

OK - back to my cave.
Tom M.

 

[DrEntropy]

There was a calculus book there. It took me 4 years to pass 2 years of algebra because I never saw any use for it. As a math illiterate, please tell me what is calculus and what is it good for in the real world?

In high school, I had two years with Latin-1. Similarly, saw no practical use for it in real life, had no intention to become a clinician. With math, algebra, geometry and the final semester learning to deal with differential equations fascinated me. It helps me to attempt to wrap my pea-brane around quantum physics as much as personally possible. Call it a dalliance, a break from things physical, things mechanical. Mental masturbation. :smirk:

 

[mikephillips]

Couldn't doo it anymore, been 40 years, but in college I found multi-variable calculus and differential equations kind of fun. Statistics on the other hand bored the **** out of me. But I found a home in mainframe tech support. Which the marketplace still values since big companies still have them and young folks aren't interested.

 

[glemon]

I took a couple calculus courses in college. Somewhere in the college classes it went from being fun and easy to hard and something I had to work at, but still could do it.

Fast forward about 25 years and I decided on pursuing a career change that involved having to pass a test that involved some higher math. I discovered my mind and memorization skills were not the same as they were when I was young. Real world stuff I still feel (maybe hubris) I can do better now, but high level academic stuff not so much.

Anyway, won't be reading any calculus books for fun. I do have Road & Track going back to the mid fifties, not complete, but a couple bookshelves full, and Netflix has the series on the Viet Nam war (my wife tells me I have watched all the WWII documentaries at least three time, and she is probably right, I knew the general history of Viet Nam, but the details in the series are fascinating).

 

[mikephillips]

you mention having to take a test. Reminds me that years ago when I took the position I'm in the company required all potential employees to take what they called a logic test. This was for janitors, data entry and on up, although upper executives were exempt... Anyway, it was more of a can you follow directions test where you did things like draw shapes on graph paper, up 2 squares, left 3 squares and so on. They told me that most required 2 hours or more to complete it, so expect to be there a while. I handed it back in after about 15min. They really questioned that and if I had help. Didn't help myself when I pointed out it didn't really seem to structured for college educationed computer professionals. Wasn't long afterward they stopped it when they realized it really didn't prove anything either way.

 

[DrEntropy]

<respectfully snipped> Netflix has the series on the Viet Nam war (my wife tells me I have watched all the WWII documentaries at least three time, and she is probably right, I knew the general history of Viet Nam, but the details in the series are fascinating).

Watch for a quick clip of a SAR mission, an HH-53 "Jolly Green Giant" and a thin guy in a flight suit backing up to the port side landing gear with a Nikon up to his face, trying to get out of frame as the MoPic camera records the two pilots being taken off the aircraft. :wink:

Most of the footage in those documentaries was shot by folks I knew and worked with. One pal and co-worker didn't come home until recently: Jimmy Alley.

 

[AngliaGT]

In high school, I had two years with Latin-1. Similarly, saw no practical use for it in real life, had no intention to become a clinician. With math, algebra, geometry and the final semester learning to deal with differential equations fascinated me. It helps me to attempt to wrap my pea-brane around quantum physics as much as personally possible. Call it a dalliance, a break from things physical, things mechanical. Mental masturbation. :smirk:

The reason to take Latin is so you can win on JEOPARDY!

 

[AngliaGT]

Watch for a quick clip of a SAR mission, an HH-53 "Jolly Green Giant" and a thin guy in a flight suit backing up to the port side landing gear with a Nikon up to his face, trying to get out of frame as the MoPic camera records the two pilots being taken off the aircraft. :wink:

Most of the footage in those documentaries was shot by folks I knew and worked with. One pal and co-worker didn't come home until recently: Jimmy Alley.

I take that was you behind the Nikon?

Soory to hear about Jimmy - that must be tough to deal with the loss.

 

[glemon]

Dr. Entropy Said:"Watch for a quick clip of a SAR mission, an HH-53 "Jolly Green Giant" and a thin guy in a flight suit backing up to the port side landing gear with a Nikon up to his face, trying to get out of frame as the MoPic camera records the two pilots being taken off the aircraft. :wink:"

I worked closely with a guy who was a medic on the medivac helicopters in Viet Nam. He never talked about it much, but I can't even imagine doing a job like that for a couple years. Sorry about your friend.

I will also add I never took Latin, but I did take a college course in Greek and Latin roots. It was one of the most useful classes I ever took, most every scientific or technical term we use is based on Greek or Latin roots, I have a fighting chance of figuring most anything out.

 

[pdplot]

My theory is you either have a mathematical mind or a literary/word oriented mind. I almost flunked the Army mental test. They had spatial relations and I had no clue. Couldn't even figure out a folded handkerchief. Also flunked logic in college. Yet I finished first in my class in Flight ground School and got high marks in the law aptitude test before I went to law school. The only math-related course I ever did even passably well in was Plane Geometry because it required no abstract thinking. It was all there in front of you. If I can't see it, I can't do it. I'm visually oriented. That's why I was good on the piano and bad on a trumpet. But I suppose I could have gotten better with lots of practice. I also found the slide trombone easier though it had no valves or frets. But I had to give it up. I couldn't reach B - my arms were too short.