[ExI] far future

[Kelly Anderson]

On Tue, Feb 4, 2014 at 12:17 AM, spike <spike66 at att.net> wrote:

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> *From:* extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org [mailto:
> extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org] *On Behalf Of *Kelly Anderson
> *...*
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> >... I do like the shiny commercials, and I am amused by the increasing use
> of graphics, great directional microphones and really high quality image
> processing...
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> Isn't it cool?  You have that air time worth all that money, such creative
> effort goes into that 30 second video.  Note how much content goes into
> it.  Astonishing!  This development goes to something I have been watching
> for decades: how video games and internet have trained our minds to take in
> data at a much higher rate than before.
>

Yes, I totally agree.


> Test: if we could get video of Superbowl ads from 40 years ago and compare
> them to today, we would find it striking how slow was the pace they spent
> that expensive time four decades ago.  We can deal with info at twice the
> pace today.  This is so cool, and at the same time a source of vague
> worry.  The whole notion merits further thought.
>

I wonder if it is related to the attention span thing I was wondering about
the other day.


> >...But then I'm not as smart as Spike...
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> You are far too modest sir.
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Not at all.


> >... I certainly would not find calculus to be an interesting dinner time
> conversation starter.  -Kelly
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> Kelly it was a really cool interesting calculus problem.  I learned so
> much.  I stumped two college math professors, and posed it to a third who
> isn't busted yet.  I managed to do the calculus, then get hopelessly
> tangled up in the algebra!  But the computer came to my rescue: I found a
> numerical solution using a Monte Carlo technique.  Never did get a closed
> form solution.
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>
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> Aside: it was really a conversation opener, but rather a continuer.   My
> pleasant young interlocutor said he was a professor of mathematics.
>

It's always nice to be able to bust the balls of a math professor with a
mathematics problem. I can see the entertainment value in that. I just
don't know enough math to know what a hard problem it would be.


> Here's the form I posed the problem to my former college roommate and a
> mutual friend, both of which are math professors:
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> Mrs Claus comes home early and catches Santa in the act!  Rather than slay
> the cheating skunk on the spot, thus depriving children all over the world
> of Christmas joy, she extracts her revenge by grabbing up all their clothes
> and stomping out of the igloo with every stitch of cloth in the entire icy
> abode.  She tosses the clothing into the sleigh and departs northward with
> the traditional "...on Dancer, on Prancer..." etc.
>
>
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> Knowing "Saint" Nick and his sleazy little vixen cannot flee in their
> current state of undress (fatal within minutes in this frigid setting) she
> calls the elves on her cell phone, inviting them over for a little
> surprise.
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> She sets off due north, but cannot continue on this course for there is a
> toy factory in the way, so she turns right pi/2 and maintains an easterly
> heading.
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> If Mrs. Claus travels 4 km north, then 3 km east, what is the maximum
> distance she can be from the igloo?
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> If you manage that one, what is the general optimized equation, in terms
> of S km from start after travelling N km north and E km east?
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> By numerical methods I have discovered a remarkable answer, but I still
> can't explain it.
>
>
Knowing the right answer isn't always as interesting as knowing the right
way to find such an answer.

-Kelly
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