highlights from a work session.

I've been posting quite a bit, lately. Only time will tell whether the amount of "interesting stuff" I write is an invariant or not; if so, it would probably mean that the more I write, the less interesting it gets.

Anyways, let's go with the "more matter with less art" [1] approach to blog-posting.

mathematical high point of my day: Drawing the picture and realising what it all means.

This is a lesson which, for me, is often forgotten and often relearned.

mathematical low point of my day: Coming up with an example but confused on how to settle it. The cause of this difficulty lies either in my memory or my slow-wittedness, and neither is very appealing to consider.

Abstraction is wonderful: I imagine ideal objects drawn with clean, straight lines. However, one must remember that abstraction is a tool of generalization, and the motivation lies in concrete examples. I suppose that concreteness is also nice, but nice in the sense of mud soccer or preparing raw chicken before cooking and serving it.

personal observation: I'm no good at multi-tasking anymore. I don't see how the rest of the world does it (well).

Tell me to finish two things and I will be confused and accomplish nothing;

Tell me to finish one thing and up to human and circumstantial limitations, I will do it. Then tell me to do the second thing and I'll do it in the same way.

How is it possible that I become so confused, so easily? Has this much schooling changed me and made me incapable of non-iterative processes? Do I over-think everything now?

This just doesn't bode well .. \:

[1] In Shakespeare's "Hamlet" there is a scene where we first encounter Claudius, Gertrude, and Polonius at once. Suffice to say that Polonius is verbose and fails to get to the point, and Gertrude admonishes him for this.

GERTRUDE: More matter, with less art.

POLONIUS: Madam, I swear I use no art at all.
That he is mad, 'tis true: 'tis true 'tis pity;
And pity 'tis 'tis true: a foolish figure;
But farewell it, for I will use no art.

I wonder if that's how my advisor feels about me, during our meetings. q: