I recall the time I was given a phone number to remember by a young lady (not as part of a pick-up) and she was worried that I didn't write it down. The first part was easily to remember as it was the most one common in our area and the last 4 numbers were 2856. I pointed out that the first 3 numbers were a given and the last 4 easy to remember since 56 is twice 28. At first she found this hard to believe I determined this so fast fast and without a calculator and had to think about 10 seconds to verify. (To me it was almost automatic) Then she was amazed, as if it wee some type of magic . This was also somebody that considered herself very smart and ended up going to law school.
The complete lack of ability to do even 3rd grade math by our many educated people is a very large part of how we have gotten into the mess we are in. People like this young lady can't do the basic math to see why Obamcare will be a disaster or that we cannot borrow and spend endlessly. They think math is less important that what they feel and how things should be. Math always wins in the end, no matter how much they may vote otherwise.
Crunchy can speak for himself, but as a person who did well in the subject matter, it's just another word for history.
I know you're hostile to the Liberal Arts and I have to agree on the way it is practiced (charging $50,000 a year just don't work). However, if one follow its definition then it is a reason time to learn. Read history to see trends and lessons for similar situations (knowing enough to draw conclusions and analysis rather than factoids). Read literature to know the wisdom of the greatest thinkers. Study language to be able to explain such observations, wisdom, and connections well. That's the gist.
The bare minimum to be "good" is able to memorize factoids. But the true mark is the ability to make connections and explain it for other to understand (thus the idea of the essay and emphasis on writing in school in a history class). I remember my HS AP Social Studies teacher, he told the real mark to understanding to read the nuances. Like in our own textbooks means to not just know so-so events occured, but notice the biases of the textbook writer within the words and details he chosen.
My experience is that most of the women who have entered the IT business in the last decade or so are marginally competent at best, have bad attitude and a huge sense of entitlement.
Math would be a lot easier and quicker to learn if the USA would convert to the METRIC SYSTEM. The WHOLE WORLD uses the Metric System except the USA, Burma, and Liberia. This is the equivalent of the whole world using a light bulb and the USA still using candles to light their way in the dark. Captain Capitalism is right, don't you see how stupid AMERICA has become.
My Smarter Half started college as a math major and finished with a Masters in Computer Science. She put herself through school as both retail clerk and cash office manager. IT chicks are truly great (and hot).
Mr. H. The metric system is incapable of serious math. ANYONE can move a decimal point to the left or right. But to figure out how many square feet in an acre ... that takes a real mind. ;-)
Every time I hear about or experience something like this, I feel a warm fuzzy feeling of happiness inside me. There may be no social security pensions by the time I'm of retirement age, but basic reading, writing and arithmetic skills will be so rare by then that I'll always be able to earn decent money fairly easily, provided my basic health holds.
I actually had a job interview last week. The hiring manager (no trip through HR, thank God) was really disappointed when he asked me what 13 x 13 was and I knew the answer.
He wanted to see how I figured out answers to something I didn't know.
I think that in and of itself says far too much about the expected skill level of my generation.
Looking back on my relationship with math this may have had something to do with it;
"Avoidance of reading begs a similar question — does reading stave off depression in teens, or do depressed teens abstain from the activity intentionally? Previous research supports the idea that teens with depression avoid cognitively intense activities and opt for low-intensity ones, such as watching TV or listening to music, instead, the authors write."
- I would consider math a cognitively intense subject and since my cognition was be default intense, engaging with something almost or equally as intense as what was already going on inside my head, was just too much.
Hmmm don't know about the "hot" part. Math/spatial skills are normally linked to the male brain. And women who have math ability in spades tend towards the masculine end of the spectrum. So maybe they are attractive in that masculine way - strong well defined features, some might call "handsome" - not in that cutesy, soft, feminine way.
I would really like to believe that that story is...not completely factual. Adding 15 minutes is *hard*? Who is she working with, retards?
ReplyDeleteI don't lay all the blame on the no math skillz chickz.
ReplyDeleteMost of it belongs to the parents and teachers that continue to not give two dookies what happens to the next generation.
I recall the time I was given a phone number to remember by a young lady (not as part of a pick-up) and she was worried that I didn't write it down. The first part was easily to remember as it was the most one common in our area and the last 4 numbers were 2856. I pointed out that the first 3 numbers were a given and the last 4 easy to remember since 56 is twice 28. At first she found this hard to believe I determined this so fast fast and without a calculator and had to think about 10 seconds to verify. (To me it was almost automatic) Then she was amazed, as if it wee some type of magic . This was also somebody that considered herself very smart and ended up going to law school.
ReplyDeleteThe complete lack of ability to do even 3rd grade math by our many educated people is a very large part of how we have gotten into the mess we are in. People like this young lady can't do the basic math to see why Obamcare will be a disaster or that we cannot borrow and spend endlessly. They think math is less important that what they feel and how things should be. Math always wins in the end, no matter how much they may vote otherwise.
women, huh
ReplyDeleteCrunchy,
ReplyDeleteHow does one become "good at social studies?"
Cpt.
Crunchy can speak for himself, but as a person who did well in the subject matter, it's just another word for history.
ReplyDeleteI know you're hostile to the Liberal Arts and I have to agree on the way it is practiced (charging $50,000 a year just don't work). However, if one follow its definition then it is a reason time to learn. Read history to see trends and lessons for similar situations (knowing enough to draw conclusions and analysis rather than factoids). Read literature to know the wisdom of the greatest thinkers. Study language to be able to explain such observations, wisdom, and connections well. That's the gist.
The bare minimum to be "good" is able to memorize factoids. But the true mark is the ability to make connections and explain it for other to understand (thus the idea of the essay and emphasis on writing in school in a history class). I remember my HS AP Social Studies teacher, he told the real mark to understanding to read the nuances. Like in our own textbooks means to not just know so-so events occured, but notice the biases of the textbook writer within the words and details he chosen.
My experience is that most of the women who have entered the IT business in the last decade or so are marginally competent at best, have bad attitude and a huge sense of entitlement.
ReplyDeleteMath would be a lot easier and quicker to learn if the USA would convert to the METRIC SYSTEM. The WHOLE WORLD uses the Metric System except the USA, Burma, and Liberia. This is the equivalent of the whole world using a light bulb and the USA still using candles to light their way in the dark. Captain Capitalism is right, don't you see how stupid AMERICA has become.
ReplyDeleteMy Smarter Half started college as a math major and finished with a Masters in Computer Science.
ReplyDeleteShe put herself through school as both retail clerk and cash office manager.
IT chicks are truly great (and hot).
Mr. H. The metric system is incapable of serious math. ANYONE can move a decimal point to the left or right. But to figure out how many square feet in an acre ... that takes a real mind. ;-)
Both of them are working on Master’s degrees!
ReplyDeleteIn something ending in "Studies," no doubt.
Every time I hear about or experience something like this, I feel a warm fuzzy feeling of happiness inside me. There may be no social security pensions by the time I'm of retirement age, but basic reading, writing and arithmetic skills will be so rare by then that I'll always be able to earn decent money fairly easily, provided my basic health holds.
ReplyDeleteI actually had a job interview last week. The hiring manager (no trip through HR, thank God) was really disappointed when he asked me what 13 x 13 was and I knew the answer.
ReplyDeleteHe wanted to see how I figured out answers to something I didn't know.
I think that in and of itself says far too much about the expected skill level of my generation.
Some of you may have heard of Grace Murray Hopper. She was quite good at math, and also in the computer science field.
ReplyDeleteLooking back on my relationship with math this may have had something to do with it;
ReplyDelete"Avoidance of reading begs a similar question — does reading stave off depression in teens, or do depressed teens abstain from the activity intentionally? Previous research supports the idea that teens with depression avoid cognitively intense activities and opt for low-intensity ones, such as watching TV or listening to music, instead, the authors write."
- I would consider math a cognitively intense subject and since my cognition was be default intense, engaging with something almost or equally as intense as what was already going on inside my head, was just too much.
http://news.discovery.com/human/teen-music-use-may-reflect-serious-blues.htm
Hmmm don't know about the "hot" part. Math/spatial skills are normally linked to the male brain. And women who have math ability in spades tend towards the masculine end of the spectrum. So maybe they are attractive in that masculine way - strong well defined features, some might call "handsome" - not in that cutesy, soft, feminine way.
ReplyDelete