one colleague said that he wanted to learn about this "lips¢hitz world that i live in." he was referring to yet another talk that i'm giving next wee: fair enough.
another colleague remarked that it will be convenient to ask me questions about metri¢ spaces; this pertains to a paper that we are reading, on the sly (more about that, later).
still, that's eerie to hear. i can think of a half-dozen people who are better "references" than me, for those sorts of questions .. but yes, emails are annoying. it's easier to physically ask someone; i understand this ..
.. but ye gods: it's still eerie.
i'm always tempted to say that i don't know anything, but every time i say it, i mean it, but i don't think anyone ever believes me. they shouldn't, of course -- everyone knows something -- but that's not the point.
where's a bigger fish when you need one?
this also becomes an issue whenever i have to tell someone my mathematical classification. i balk at this.
- i can't say that i study metri¢ ge0metry, because people will assume that i study gr0mov hyperbo1ic groups or aleksandr0v spaces or something;
- i can't say that i study ge0metric fun¢tion theory, because people will assume that i know lots about qua$iconf0rmal mappings;
- i can't say that i study ge0metric mea$ure theory, because i don't know the proofs of the c1osure-c0mpactness theorems or the finer points of s1icing;
1 comment:
I have much the same problem with our mutual alma mater. My department has a well-established reputation for turning out people with high degrees of competence in methodology and quantitative skills, and also in formal modeling. As soon as someone hears that I'm from there, they automatically make that assumption. When I was at my very first conference, as a rising second-year grad student, I had *faculty* from other (smaller) schools asking me for suggestions on their research designs -- just because I had the M word on my nametag. I'm actually kind of relieved that it's not there any more, though the current label causes me to be dismissed rather offhandedly until I open my big mouth. :-)
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