Angry at Math

[Darkstorm]

Did you make it into Berkeley at 14?

almost there-
at 15 I will graduate HS
but I can prob get into any university I want, I have a perfect gpa so far, and as advanced classes that my school would let me take
so younger, and almost as smart.

[Darkstorm]

by the way, does Berkeley seem like a good university? I mean, obviously it is a prestigious academic university, but do you like the teachers, the facility itself, etc., or what? I plan on getting a degree in astrophysics and various related advanced astronomy and physics categories of science, so I have been looking around at different post-high school colleges and universities. Your honest opinion would be valued.

[cleanupcrew]

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[Tzan]

Wow you are so smart, I can't even understand why you didnt answer his question.

[Darkstorm]

Wow you are so smart, I can't even understand why you didnt answer his question.

You noticed that too, huh?

and Colette:
I'm not trying to one-up you here, but I honestly don't care about the money, as long as I have enough to live on and to buy a semi-steady stream of bricks with. I enjoy science, and not just the nice big flashy facts. Taking the tedious time to study something I am genuinely interested in is something I often do, much to the dismay of many of my previous irl friends (my friends now mainly consist of other people who like science as much as I do, my age or not). Pursuing science is something I have always wanted to do, and has been one of the only two things I have loved since my early childhood, the other being Legos. When I asked about the university, I wasn't joking.

and of those 3, I probably will end up with the 2nd option. Who knows though? 3rd option is the obvious goal, but I could end up anywhere from being the next Bill Gates to being a homeless beggar. Life is just full of chances isn't it!

[stubby]

If you're smarter than me then you'll realize that money isn't everything and you'll actually try to help advance humanity or its knowledge base.

If you're smarter than Colette then you'll realize that advancing knowledge isn't everything and you'll actually try to help make the world a better place.

[Tzan]

So without your permission I just sent your question to my friend Leslie.
She has a PhD from Harvard in Physics ( I think ).
She is on the team that sent the probe to Pluto and is currently working on the data that has come back.
She is person who plotted the course and made the final adjustments a few weeks out.

So we'll see if she has any thoughts. She has answered stupid forum questions before.

[Darkstorm]

If you're smarter than me then you'll realize that money isn't everything and you'll actually try to help advance humanity or its knowledge base.

If you're smarter than Colette then you'll realize that advancing knowledge isn't everything and you'll actually try to help make the world a better place.

True. Advancing knowledge is only one way to make the world a better place, and it seems to rarely work due to the ignorance of the general population. When there is a huge scientific breakthrough, it seems to always at first be weaponized for the military, then end up in the hands of the general public to play with, "bettering" the lives of many. I don't plan on discovering the first string (string theory), or figuring out how to achieve absolute zero, or building a rocket to Mars, or anything else- however, if nobody tries, then everyone will fail. So by being one of those people that try to achieve those goals, I would be making the world a better place. While knowledge isn't everything, it's what people do with that knowledge that makes the world a better place.

P.S. Thanks Tzan!

[Cakeman]

It's ok to be smart and just manage your own life too. So many things outside your control will happen, not all gifted people get to the point when they actually add to human knowledge etc, and it's ok anyway. But a goal is good

[Darkstorm]

It's ok to be smart and just manage your own life too. So many things outside your control will happen, not all gifted people get to the point when they actually add to human knowledge etc, and it's ok anyway. But a goal is good

true enough.

[stubby]

Advancing knowledge is only one way to make the world a better place, and it seems to rarely work due to the ignorance of the general population. When there is a huge scientific breakthrough, it seems to always at first be weaponized for the military, then end up in the hands of the general public to play with, "bettering" the lives of many.

DARPA and the like are our big source of major breakthroughs, sure -- but something close to zero percent of the advancement of knowledge comes through huge breakthroughs. The vast majority of it comes through the plodding incremental progress of guys with a bunch of money paying all the smart kids to figure out how to make money 1% faster.

We discover atomic theory or something once or twice a century, but the work of figuring out how to make cigarettes slightly more addictive, or cheaper to manufacture, or how to skirt health regulations, or ship cartons more efficiently to more markets where health regulations aren't a problem - that advancement of knowledge is happening every day. Like, we are really good at making cigarettes now. Whoever had the job of advancing that knowledge advanced the shit out of it.

So I'm not convinced that advancing knowledge automatically betters the lives of humanity as a whole. Because of the way the incentives are set up, right now we're usually advancing the knowledge of how to better the lives of a very few at the expense of the very many.

[Tzan]

It seems that smart people not answering the question is contagious.

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Hmm, I think science might last him through the decades more than Logos will.
But who am I to say?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pixbymaia/19122314634

-- Leslie
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It looks just like her too.

[Captain-Camper]

by the way, does Berkeley seem like a good university? I mean, obviously it is a prestigious academic university, but do you like the teachers, the facility itself, etc., or what? I plan on getting a degree in astrophysics and various related advanced astronomy and physics categories of science, so I have been looking around at different post-high school colleges and universities. Your honest opinion would be valued.

That's cute. You'll probably end up changing to something else and become a lawyer or doctor or sell your soul to Google, Goldman, McKinsey, Exxon Mobil, or some other cushy company if you really are that capable.

If you're as smart as you say you are you'll actually stick to studying astrophysics, and then end up working for Renaissance Technologies or Jane Street anyway instead of doing physics after you get your Ph.D.

If you're smarter than me then you'll realize that money isn't everything and you'll actually try to help advance humanity or its knowledge base.

Colettism
Actually though, don't be afraid to work for big banks, they pay pretty well and you've probably already sold your soul to them.

[cleanupcrew]

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[Captain-Camper]

The game may be rigged but if you face the "monolithic" machine with a grin and an acceptance of your fate, you may find yourself climbing the poorly strung ladder to a greater position of power.