when i think about the value of studying math for so many years, i don't really think it comes from the specific subjects i studied. i mean, okay, derivatives and also linear algebra do come up every now and then.
but for the most part, the probability that any specific piece of math knowledge will be relevant for any given problem in life is pretty small. studying math feels less about learning mathematics and more about training that part of your brain that does the math, and you have to learn new parts of math because you have to keep finding new things to train on.
i have some knowledge, sure, but most of it is functionally useless. the real value is in the building of some intuition about how certain types of problems "should" work, and also how to formalize and communicate that intuition to other people (or to a compiler)
in my country having a diagnosis is highly confidential, too. there is no such thing as "the government knowing about your diagnoses" unless you get evaluated for disability documentation (I have no idea how to translate this to english), which is your choice. besides, who knows when the diagnosis will be useful? waiting for a diagnostic appointment takes several months and is very expensive, so taking an opportunity to sort this thing out when it's possible is good. depending on where someone lives, it can be very harmful to say that having a diagnosis somehow creates disadvantages
at my university the support program for people with asd has been introduced two years ago. it took me almost a year to get everything done, a year of unnecessary suffering. treatment for depression with or wihout adhd can be completely different and having it on paper that in your personal circumstances ssri might not work can save so much time. when someone suspects adhd and the situation calls for introducing medication, it's nice to be able to try right away, not wait several months for a diagnosis. those are just some practical examples of how you never know when diagnosis might be useful
and the validation reason, yeah, that too, it's beneficial to have someone work with you through that stuff. moreover, with professional support there comes someone suggesting solutions and forms of help that one might not even thought of. there are shitty doctors, but there are good ones too, and I think we should talk more about how to find the right ones instead of demonizing getting help
By the way. Before you rush to get a professional diagnosis for a Brain Thing you should really weigh your options. Like do you just want to "prove it" or will this actually give you access to treatment you can't have otherwise? Are the treatment options available worth having the government know you're neurodivergent? Because sometimes it's better to keep things off the record because unfortunately we still live in a very deeply ableist society and you might not want to have more real material oppression stacked against you than you have to
can someone please get these hoes under control i'm BUSY
Nothing but respect for this mathematician's webpage
Hey students, here’s a pro tip: do not write an email to your prof while you’re seriously sick.
Signed, a person who somehow came up with “dear hello, I am sick and not sure if I’ll be alive to come tomorrow and I’m sorry, best slutantions, [name]”.
5x5 Diamond rule, iterates 1-32
Iterates 40, 48, 56
Iterate 64
Iterate 128
This is a 2D cellular automaton generating a 3D fractal layer by layer. I coded it in Microsoft Excel - each pixel is 1 cell.
See more MSExcel fractals
chaotic good
Pro-tip: You can use paper twice if you take your notes in pencil first and then write over it in pen.
@shitstudyblr please validate me
25 XI 2022
I neglected this blog a little, a lot is going on right now
I have a lot of work and I'm barely keeping up, I was sick for two weeks because not going to school would result in even more problems, so the cold didn't want to go away. I'm fine now but the lack of sleep is still fucking with my cognitive performance and I'm in general very exhausted both physically and mentally
today I had a meeting with the dean to talk about the accommodations for adhd and asd and it went very well, he is such a nice guy. we discussed extended time on tests, getting more specific instructions from professors and just a bit of extra care so I don't get overwhelmed. we also talked about a mentor who would help me with organizing my studying and the dean said that he will find someone who would help me with progressing in my field of interest, which sounds very promising. I don't know yet what that's gonna be, maybe algebraic topology, maybe something leaning more towards algebraic geometry, we'll see
when it comes to what I'm doing right now, we did some more stuff from homological algebra (projective and injective objects, derived functors and group homology) and the topics from commutative algebra have more geometric motivations, so the course becomes more and more enjoyable. learning complex analysis is much easier than those two other courses because there is significantly less theory and even if the problems are super difficult, it doesn't require as much brain power
other than doing homework I'm trying to find some time to read Introduction to Differential Topology by Jänich, although recently time is a scarce resource. the book is great tho
i’m starting a collection
yeah I say that I'm vegetarian because the texture of meat fucks with my sensory issues. I would know if the meat in my meal was real and I would probably throw up and have a meltdown, then proceed to have my day ruined. I can't believe someone actually could put me in such a position jfc
Look I clown veganism often enough but really, truly, don’t ever fucking feed somebody something without their knowledge or consent. It’s hugely fucked up and not OK.
⁕ pure math undergrad ⁕ in love with anything algebraic ⁕
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