Introversion

One of the most startling ways Facebok can link people is by cross-reference the contacts list of users' e-mail accounts with the addresses of every other FB account. So say this friend had your e-mail address, and she gave Facebook permission to scan her Gmail contacts, it would make a suggestion. Although, it doesn't sound like this was so in your case.

All in all, data algorithms can be rather frightening sometimes. Blame people like xander for this.

Colytic wrote:Blame people like xander for this.

Wait... what?

xander

xander wrote:

Colytic wrote:Blame people like xander for this.

Wait... what?

xander

Data scientists and other mathematicians

Colytic wrote:

xander wrote:

Colytic wrote:Blame people like xander for this.

Wait... what?

xander

Data scientists and other mathematicians :D

My goal in life is to produce beautiful mathematics that are absolutely no practical use outside of mathematics. Nothing that I do has any use for organizations like Facebook, the NSA, or data miners. I hope it remains that way, at least until well after I am dead.

xander

xander wrote:My goal in life is to produce beautiful mathematics that are absolutely no practical use outside of mathematics. Nothing that I do has any use for organizations like Facebook, the NSA, or data miners. I hope it remains that way, at least until well after I am dead.

Well I didn't mean to insinuate anything, it was only meant as a friendly jab. But that's a noble aspiration nonetheless.

I'm still waiting for proof for the Collatz conjecture, xander. And there's NOTHING practical about that.

I give you two weeks.

NeatNit wrote:I'm still waiting for proof for the Collatz conjecture, xander. And there's NOTHING practical about that.

I give you two weeks.

Unfortunately, I am working on the Riemann hypothesis, instead. Which, unfortunately, likely has practical applications. :(

That being said, the Collatz conjecture is one of those awful, awful number theoretical results that is very simply stated, yet insanely difficult to actually prove. I am reasonably certain, however, that one could equivalently show that the Collatz fractal is connected (or some similar condition), which is moving towards mathematics that I know something about.

xander

And here I was, for whatever reason, thinking xander was an archeologist.

Feud wrote:And here I was, for whatever reason, thinking xander was an archeologist.

an archeologist of numbers!

Feud wrote:And here I was, for whatever reason, thinking xander was an archeologist.

I used to be, though it has been more than a decade since I have done work as such.

xander

I guess that's what happens when the real world keeps turning, things you learned when you first join go out of date.

Feud wrote:I guess that's what happens when the real world keeps turning, things you learned when you first join go out of date.

Indeed. You still doing the law enforcement thing?

xander

Nope, went to and graduated law school. Taking the bar exam in a few weeks, weighing the career options. Got selected for a military JAG position, but we'll see what comes up while the paperwork on that is going through.

Feud wrote:Nope, went to and graduated law school. Taking the bar exam in a few weeks, weighing the career options. Got selected for a military JAG position, but we'll see what comes up while the paperwork on that is going through.

My brother took the bar 3 years ago---third highest score in the state that year, still unemployed (though it sounds like he maybe found legal work this week). Good luck.

xander

To whom it may concern (likely no-one): I was recently released from the army! 3 years of service.


I will never fire a gun again. (among many other things that I will never do again!)