The h Bar

0celoñe7

9:00 PM

@ACuriousMind Should I assume you're unfamiliar with Mathematica?

ACuriousMind

@0celoñe7 Pretty much, yeah

I think I used it...once?

Anonymous

@ACuriousMind No. I didn't say that. All I said was: " any sane person would support need-based reservation over caste-based reservation". I do agree that the reservation has brought about some good but at the same time it has caused a lot of harm.

ACuriousMind

Ah, now that sounds considerably more balanced than "Caste-based reservation is a clear cut social evil."

Anonymous

Yes, it needs fixing. The idea isn't bad. The reservation just needs to be changed to need-based reservation.

Anonymous

@ACuriousMind Ok, you took my sentences more literally than I intended. :P

Sid

9:02 PM

@0celoñe7 Oh, you have no idea. India is every historian's and every predictor's nightmare. No one knows what will happen next..

The Raiders of Las Vegas

The system is screwed up man.

ACuriousMind

@Blue Fair enough, then.

0celoñe7

@TheRaidersofLasVegas Isn't every?

The Raiders of Las Vegas

Mostly, yeah.

0celoñe7

@ACuriousMind I am studying the curious ODE $$w'=\frac{1-3w}{r}, w=w(r)$$ on $\Bbb R_{\ge 0}$

the general solution is $$w=\frac{c}{3}+\frac{k}{r^3}.$$

The Raiders of Las Vegas

9:05 PM

But corruption is rampant and the extremely poor are suffering the most :(

0celoñe7

@ACuriousMind What's interesting is that if we give the initial condition at $r=0$ and demand it's finite, then we can solve it...but only if that number is $c/3$...

heather

I think this question is on-topic (the question in the title seems legitimate) and the guy is admitting he wrote the article, etc, but I'm not sure how to deal with it - thoughts?

0celoñe7

If we give the initial condition anywhere else, and it's not $c/3$, then the solution is something horrible.

ACuriousMind

@0celoñe7 Huh.

0celoñe7

This is a huge problem for numerics, clearly. We cannot specify an initial condition at $r=0$ because the equation is singular there. But if we specify the initial condition elsewhere, a small error causes a huge change in the solution!

heather

9:08 PM

I feel like a review ninja right now.

ACuriousMind

@heather It's off-topic as non-mainstream. "Do not rely on the second law of thermodynamics" is equivalent to "Please don't use established physics to answer this question about physics.".

0celoñe7

@ACuriousMind $c=1$ up there.

I'm trying to solve equations like this numerically, but I have no way of telling if my numerics are anywhere close to what the actual solution is!

ACuriousMind

@heather Also (since my closure just now got rid of your flag), email in history is generally no reason to worry - the user chose to exhibit that information, after all. We only redact such information if the author themselves asks us to.

heather

@ACuriousMind okay, good to know.

0celoñe7

@ACuriousMind Very curiously, one can show that for such equations there is only ever one bounded solution on $(0,\epsilon)$, $\epsilon>0$

heather

9:23 PM

phew, there's nothing left in the review queue that i can do (4 close reviews i can't do).

ACuriousMind

@heather Good work, you and honeste_vivere have almost singlehandedly cleared the First Post queue

Now we just need some more close reviewers :P

@0celoñe7 Well, the "dividing by $r$" aspect makes that not as surprising as it might be for other functional forms, I think

It's still an interesting result, though

0celoñe7

@ACuriousMind My hope is that if I put the initial condition veeeeeery close to 0, then the large $r$ behavior will be roughly the same

(I am interested in $r\gg 0$ behavior)

heather

@ACuriousMind thanks, i need to visit the queue more often.

what do you think the response would be to a post proposing the burnination of homework-and-exercises

ACuriousMind

@heather Not only you ;) I think (I haven't looked closely at the stats, so take it with a grain of salt) we are still only barely over the critical mass of reviewers. IT would be healthy for the site if the close votes were more evenly distributed over the >3k population.

heather

::recommits to cv reviewing::

i used to watch the new questions tab, i don't do that as much anymore. i should start doing that again too.

0celoñe7

9:35 PM

@ACuriousMind Got a walking speed mod for Morrowind, played a bit. Much more enjoyable than last time...

The combat is pretty stupid. I got killed by a worm looking thing because I literally could not hit it.

ACuriousMind

@heather Past discussions (e.g. 1, 2, 3) seem to indicate that people mostly feel "meh" about the existence of the tag, with a slight bent towards supporting it.

heather

I started a burnination request for general-physics; not sure why that abomination resists.

ACuriousMind

These discussions are fairly old though. Alas, I don't think the general feeling has changed much - "meh" seems to be the dominant attitude also in more recent discussions about the homework policy in general when it gets to getting specific about changes.

heather

okay, i really hate the please-delete-this-tag mapping. It's making life rather confusing.

ACuriousMind

Yeah, I'm not entirely sure what the current situation with the tag mapping actually is, or what it is meant to achieve specifically. @Qmechanic, when you find the time, could you make a meta post that outlines what you've done and what the goals are?

0celoñe7

9:41 PM

@ACuriousMind Does Windows allow for spaces in file names?

ACuriousMind

@0celoñe7 yes

0celoñe7

cewl

AccidentalFourierTransform

@0celoñe7 yes but try to avoid it if you can

it may or may not cause problems in the future

0celoñe7

@AccidentalFourierTransform I need to sort my pdf folder

AccidentalFourierTransform

use underscores if necessary

0celoñe7

9:42 PM

if I can write spaces it will be much better

@AccidentalFourierTransform But if I use underscore will it find "Weinberg_Cosmology" if I search "Weinberg Cosmology"?

AccidentalFourierTransform

yes

(Im 90% sure)

0celoñe7

Windows 10 uses Internet Explorer as the default PDF reader

holy crap

What's a good PDF reader for Windows?

@AccidentalFourierTransform yup

AccidentalFourierTransform

I use evince

its fairly good

Anonymous

I use good old Adobe

AccidentalFourierTransform

I also use Acrobat Pro, which is good as well but doesnt open .djvu files

0celoñe7

9:46 PM

@AccidentalFourierTransform I convert .djvu to .pdf so I can use them on my phone and iPad.

AccidentalFourierTransform

oh no

Anonymous

It's pretty easy to convert djvu to pdf

AccidentalFourierTransform

why would you do that?

Anonymous

Lots of apps for that

0celoñe7

@AccidentalFourierTransform Why would I do what?

@Blue I know.

Anonymous

9:47 PM

@0celoñe7 I was talking to AFT

0celoñe7

I'm just saying that I don't need a djvu reader.

AccidentalFourierTransform

djvu is better, convert all your pdf's to djvu

0celoñe7

@Blue Oh.

@AccidentalFourierTransform Why?

AccidentalFourierTransform

Evince reads pdf's as well, and I prefer it over Adobe Pro

0celoñe7

Acrobat Pro isn't free

AccidentalFourierTransform

9:48 PM

@0celoñe7 a 40MB pdf is like 3MB djvu

@0celoñe7 Evince is, and its better :-P

0celoñe7

@AccidentalFourierTransform I have effectively unlimited storage.

Mostafa

@AccidentalFourierTransform This is only true if the pdf is composed of scanned images

AccidentalFourierTransform

but smaller files are faster to download and they load faster, etc

0celoñe7

@AccidentalFourierTransform I've never had issues.

Anonymous

@AccidentalFourierTransform It compromises on resolution. If it's a text-only document then djvu is better

Mostafa

9:50 PM

@0celoñe7 Usually converting a djvu to pdf results in a huge pdf file which is difficult to handle

0celoñe7

My books have lots of pictures

AccidentalFourierTransform

why dont you just use Edge?

Mostafa

Just print everything you have. That's the best thing to do

AccidentalFourierTransform

you wouldnt have to download anything

0celoñe7

@AccidentalFourierTransform What is Edge?

@AccidentalFourierTransform what?

Mostafa

9:51 PM

@0celoñe7 IE with a new name

AccidentalFourierTransform

the default internet explorer for Windows

it reads pdf files as well

0celoñe7

Why would I use that?

AccidentalFourierTransform

bc its native

0celoñe7

@AccidentalFourierTransform yeah, that's the default

I'm assuming it's cancer

Anonymous

Chrome also reads pdf by default...

Physics Meta

9:52 PM

0

Q: A generally terrible tag

general-physics is one of the worst tags I have ever seen. It is a cesspit of filth and agony for good stout-hearted reviewers. It is worthy of burnination with fire. Okay, a little more seriously: most of the questions I'm seeing should be retagged/could be retagged. The tag is ridiculous and...

AccidentalFourierTransform

(I dont use it either, but perhaps its fine)

native software tends to be good because its integrated, so it works efficiently

heather

could fundamental state = ground state?

0celoñe7

Hmm, for some reason it won't open some of these pdfs

they must not have copied correctly

ACuriousMind

@heather yeah

AccidentalFourierTransform

@heather thats like, the definition of fundamental, right?

0celoñe7

9:55 PM

ok windows masters

I have the PDFs on my laptop, they work fine

I put them on the USB, they work fine on the USB on that computer

but on my desktop they are all at 4KB and cannot be opened

and for some reason they all have a ._ in front of the file name

what gives?

AccidentalFourierTransform

that is not a file

its a data file or something like that

not the file itself

0celoñe7

a shortcut you mean?

Mostafa

@0celoñe7 make all hidden files visible

Anonymous

You just copied the shortcut file from the usb to the pc probably

AccidentalFourierTransform

^

Anonymous

9:57 PM

So it just has a reference to the usb

0celoñe7

@Blue How? Some of them work.

Why would it treat half of them differently?

AccidentalFourierTransform

bc its racist

0celoñe7

Hmm. these are duplicates

Mostafa

@0celoñe7 maybe some of them are not shortcuts

0celoñe7

I copied the files AND the shortcuts

I display hidden files by default, so I'm seeing junk

@Blue nooooooo Adobe is a virus

it's installing McAfee

AccidentalFourierTransform

10:03 PM

oh no

Anonymous

lol

Anonymous

I had Adobe Acrobat and McAfee preinstalled in my laptop when I bought it :P

Avantgarde

Adobe is so heavy, I stopped using it. I switched to this free thing called SumatraPDF. It's lightweight, opens quickly and works pretty well. (No Mac version yet!)

0celoñe7

Now, how to hunt down and destroy McAfee

AccidentalFourierTransform

with a magnet

0celoñe7

10:05 PM

@AccidentalFourierTransform just put a magnet on the motherboard?

AccidentalFourierTransform

yes pls

0celoñe7

Hmm, where would I find a magnet?

Avantgarde

headphones

Anonymous

Computer--->Uninstall or change a program

0celoñe7

I just typed uninstall in the search

worked fine

Anonymous

10:07 PM

Yeah, that's a ~~shortcut~~ detour for guys with no magnets :P

0celoñe7

@AccidentalFourierTransform what if I microwave the hard drive?

Amazing, it works now

AccidentalFourierTransform

@0celoñe7 this kills the hard drive

0celoñe7

I have to rename 500 books

Nooooo

Anonymous

hard drive dies hard

Mostafa

@0celoñe7 You should always pay very close attention to the default options when installing anything...

AccidentalFourierTransform

10:11 PM

lmao

0celoñe7

@Mostafa they did not give me options, clearly.

it didn't even ask for UAC

very strange

I probably just downloaded a mega virus

Mostafa

@0celoñe7 You probably didn't choose "advanced" (or something like that) when starting the installation

AccidentalFourierTransform

@ACuriousMind Feynman parametric integrals are always over simplices, right?

simplices... simplexes?

0celoñe7

@Mostafa there were no options

Mostafa

@0celoñe7 automate it if possible (I use a Matlab script for this)

ACuriousMind

10:13 PM

@AccidentalFourierTransform No idea what that sentence is supposed to mean, sorry

0celoñe7

@Mostafa I don't know which one is which

AccidentalFourierTransform

$$\frac{1}{a_1}\cdots\frac{1}{a_n}=\int_\Delta \frac{1}{(x_1a_1+\cdots x_n a_n)^n}$$

0celoñe7

I have to look at the thumbnails

ACuriousMind

@AccidentalFourierTransform Ohhh, that

Yes, it's an integral over the unit n-simplex.

AccidentalFourierTransform

cool

0celoñe7

10:15 PM

god dammit

it installed two things

the other thing needs me to do stuff to uninstall

fricken malware

ACuriousMind

It's proprietary software, did @BernardoMeurer not teach you expect this? :P

0celoñe7

@ACuriousMind good point

I forgot his teachings

@ACuriousMind Possible folklore theorem: If $(M,g)$ is a Riemannian manifold with boundary, and $d(x)=\mathrm{dist}(x,\partial M)$, then $d$ is smooth in a neighborhood of $\partial M$ and $\mathrm{grad}\, d(x)=-n(x)$ if $x\in \partial M$.

Seem reasonable?

Mostafa

@Avantgarde I use Sumatra too (but Adobe has some useful functionalities that Suamtra don't)

heather

the pain of mathjaxing an image

Mostafa

@ACuriousMind One should try to use free and open source software for everything everywhere, but if not possible, pirate non-free proprietary software.

0celoñe7

10:28 PM

What?

If you can't afford the software, you don't use it. Anything else is childish.

AccidentalFourierTransform

the concept of property is a sin

$$\text{property}(x)\equiv\sum_{k=0}^\infty \frac{x^{2k+1}}{(2k+1)!}$$

2

ACuriousMind

@AccidentalFourierTransform lol

0celoñe7

I have not done a course of calculus

WHat does that mean

@ACuriousMind I thought you didn't believe in sins

ACuriousMind

@0celoñe7 Does that mean I cannot appreciate a hilarious math pun involving the concept?

0celoñe7

@ACuriousMind Uh, yeah?

ACuriousMind

10:32 PM

Uh, no.

0celoñe7

Uh, we'll see about this.

Mostafa

@0celoñe7 That way you're supporting the proprietary software, which means you're working against the open source community.

0celoñe7

@Mostafa Fine by me.

Mostafa

@0celoñe7 REALLY?

0celoñe7

YES!

@Mostafa You will find me hard to convince. I am also against net neutrality.

Mostafa

10:38 PM

@0celoñe7 Did you vote Trump?

0celoñe7

I did not vote.

ACuriousMind

What is it with this chat and charged political issues today?

Did y'all eat pundits for breakfast? :P

0celoñe7

@ACuriousMind Stress.

AccidentalFourierTransform

with all this software discussion you guys have summoned the Bernard

0celoñe7

Oh no

ACuriousMind

10:40 PM

Prepare for the Gospel of Stallman

heather

@ACuriousMind please halp

ACuriousMind

Or possibly the GNU News?

heather

this is the third time the user has reposted a question

could you mod hammer/talk to them? physics.stackexchange.com/questions/348081/integral-of-torque

i can hunt up the other two links if you'd like.

also, i don't know who the heck is upvoting their questions.

ACuriousMind

@heather No need, I'll look into it. (For the record, if I had not been active in chat just now, raising a mod flag would have been totally appropriate)

heather

yeah, i would've done that, but i knew you were in chat, so.

Mithrandir24601

10:43 PM

(the other links can be found on the OP's PSE profile)

heather

looking at the voting, it seems every single one of theirs has been upvoted once...

oh, nvm, the original was not.

ACuriousMind

@heather Some voters have a very strange notion of quality :P

Mostafa

@heather SOCKPUPPET!

heather

@ACuriousMind it always bothers me when that happens, but yeah, i've noticed that =/

@Mostafa definitely not enough caps.

0celoñe7

some voters just want to see the site burn

Hmm!

Mostafa

10:47 PM

There was once a thorough guide (on wikipedia, the userpage of someone) on how to set up and run a sockpuppet acount successfully. but can't find it now

0celoñe7

There is a hint on how to do this in Gilkey

@ACuriousMind How is it you never read books? I seem to always be hunting through old tomes

Some not even old

Modern tomes

ACuriousMind

@0celoñe7 Not many tomes on string theory.

It's all in a giant mess of arXiv papers :P

Though I did find an answer to a question of mine recently while leafing through Ibanez/Uranga

0celoñe7

@ACuriousMind I have some of those too, but I am going through old tomes first!

Mostafa

How many slides are enough for a 30min presentation?

AccidentalFourierTransform

it entirely depends on you

for some people, 60 slites

0celoñe7

10:50 PM

Before learning inverse mean curvature flow I have to learn mean curvature flow, and before that I have to learn all of analysis, apparently.

ACuriousMind

@Mostafa That entirely depends on how long you talk about each slide

AccidentalFourierTransform

for some others, 3 slides

dmckee

@Mostafa I would shoot for twenytish. You certainly don't want more than one per minute.

AccidentalFourierTransform

and IMHO, the less the better

anyhow, I should get going

BAI

ACuriousMind

@AccidentalFourierTransform Some will take that to mean: "Just cram everything into one single, indecipherable slide" :P

0celoñe7

10:52 PM

Apparently people do that with homework

AccidentalFourierTransform

been there done that

0celoñe7

One ends up with stupid "one problem per piece of paper" rules

AccidentalFourierTransform

ciao ppl

0celoñe7

Bye.

heather

@AccidentalFourierTransform see you =)

Avantgarde

10:56 PM

@Mostafa Such as?

Mostafa

@Avantgarde creating PDF from file, editing the PDF,...

Avantgarde

@Mostafa Yeah. It could be made a little better. Otherwise it was pretty good.

heather

@ACuriousMind I'm not sure, but it seems like this user is writing non-mainstream answers - physics.stackexchange.com/users/164385/john-notwen - would you mind taking a look?

one was definitely NAA, so I flagged it as such.

they're answers are a little confusing, at the very least, but that could be because i just don't know much about physics =)

ACuriousMind

@heather Regardless of whether they are "non-mainstream", neither of the two answers actually contained something that answered the question, but were more tangential commentary on the topic of the questions.

heather

i knew one was, i was a little unsure on the other. thanks!

0celoñe7

11:21 PM

@ACuriousMind Ah! Gaussian coordinates!

@Slereah does the book discuss Gaussian coordinates yet?

Slereah

Not really

0celoñe7

@Slereah I'll be writing a thing on them then.

Slereah

Thx

0celoñe7

@Slereah I think they're exactly how I need to solve my boundary value problems.

The Lorentizan theory shouldn't be too much different

Physics Meta

0

Q: Let's eat up another tag

Can we burninate food? Here there were three votes in favor and no dissenters. Yes, there are many questions tagged with it, but really, food isn't a good tag - the questions are about what's happening with the food, and that's what should be described in tags.

discussion tags burninate-request

Slereah

11:29 PM

Trogdor the burninator

Mostafa

How to bring to the front an image that you sent back in powerpoint?

ACuriousMind

Me vs. Srednicki, round 1

0celoñe7

@ACuriousMind Fwiw what you say makes sense to me.

Transcript for