Connections

[liv]

I'm seeing fragmented bits of a really interesting discussion going on on different bits of my friends list, and it's frustrating me because I think all these bits should be linked together. So:

rho posted a really interesting essay on using the maths from quantum physics as a metaphor for gender. This is going to make most sense to people who have a fairly advanced grasp of both maths and gender theory, so compilerbitch, if you're reading, you should go and have a look at it. Plus, I think you and rho might well get on, so I'm taking this opportunity to introduce you, in case you haven't met.

redbird saw it, and started some related discussion in her journal. Since rho commented to that discussion, I assume rho has seen it, but anyone else might go to rho's journal but not see the continuation of the discussion.

Then rysmiel came up with a systems programmer's take on the concept, again giving rise to some interesting discussion. rho, I'm not at all sure whether you've seen rysmiel's post and I think you might well appreciate it. New perspectives, anyway.

Times like this, you really wish LJ had trackback. Anyway, if anyone else reads this and finds this kind of thing interesting to play with, I hope you'll follow the different bits of this around. And bring it to the attention of anyone you know who might also enjoy it; I can think of a few people who might, but whom I don't know well enough to be sure. Plus, if there are any fun follow-ups in bits of LJ I don't see, please let me know so I can add them to the post.

---

Meanwhile, I have reviewed Gore Vidal's novelized biography of Julian. Like shreena I have refrained from killing my mother. I went out last night to celebrate S&S getting their PhDs. I shall miss them, SC especially. My viva is on Monday (please don't wish me luck; I don't think it's a luck issue.)

I may expand on these items when things are less fraught, since the combination of the maternal visit with the imminent viva means I don't have a lot of LJ time.

Today is the 11^th day, making one week and four days of the Omer

Comments

[lyssiae.livejournal.com]

RE: Viva.

Good Luck

Knock 'em dead, lady. Because you're worth it.

[liv]

Knock 'em dead, lady. Because you're worth it.
Thank you, I do like that as an expression of support. *grin*

[redbird]

I will wish you a decent night's sleep on Sunday, then.

[liv]

Thank you, good sleep is something well worth wishing for. I am usually very good at sleeping, but it certainly can't hurt.

[rysmiel.livejournal.com]

It's not a luck issue; I wish you serenity. *hug*

[liv]

Serenity and a hug, that's very thoughtful and just exactly what I most need. Thank you so much.

[compilerbitch.livejournal.com]

Good luck with the viva, and thanks for the links -- I will follow it up. :-)

[liv]

The fact that you wished me good luck when I asked not to be wished that does suggest you're reading in a huge hurry. So no worries if you've got more important things to think about right now than some random LJ link! Hope you get less busy soon.

[compilerbitch.livejournal.com]

Whoops!

*slaps self*

Sorry about that!

You're quite right -- I am indeed in a phase of trying to do far too much in not enough time. You nailed me on that one... :)

[pseudomonas.livejournal.com]

Hope it all goes well! And send my congratulations to S&S!

[liv]

Thank you, hairy person. *hug*

[angeyja.livejournal.com]

Times like this, you really wish LJ had trackback.

I do. Last year there were a couple of gender and book ones that ended up being partitioned in so many different places that I kept wishing they were a discussion board thread not LJs, or there were another easy way to pull them all together.

I may expand on these items when things are less fraught, since the combination of the maternal visit with the imminent viva means I don't have a lot of LJ time.

Hoping things become less fraught soon, and looking forward to your thoughts if you decide to expand on them.

[liv]

I kept wishing they were a discussion board thread not LJs
The trouble is that LJ is a system designed for keeping online journals, which people are trying to use as a discussion forum. There are a few functions bolted on which enhance the discussion aspect, and there are more in the pipeline (trackback, the ability to subscribe to interesting threads, possibly the ability to mark read comments). All the tools that currently exist for maintaining discussion forums, message boards, Usenet, email lists, non-LJ blogs etc have their own disadvantages.

Hoping things become less fraught soon
Thank you! I think things are going to be fraught for a bit, since as soon as I've finished my viva I have to deal with moving house. But there are probably going to be periods of waiting around during this particular stress when I can play on LJ.

looking forward to your thoughts if you decide to expand on them
Thanks, it's always good to get some encouragement.

[angeyja.livejournal.com]

>>I kept wishing they were a discussion board thread not LJs
>The trouble is that LJ is a system designed for keeping online journals, which people are trying to use as a discussion forum. There are a few functions bolted on which enhance the discussion aspect, and there are more in the pipeline (trackback, the ability to subscribe to interesting threads, possibly the ability to mark read comments).

Nod and I approach primarily as a reader not a participant. Does that make sense? So what I'd like to be able to do is pull everything together when the discussions hit a pause point, which can be done, it simply requires more time than I usually feel like I can give.

>All the tools that currently exist for maintaining discussion forums, message boards, Usenet, email lists, non-LJ blogs etc have their own disadvantages.

I tend to define these as tools to begin with, each with their own unique aspects.

>Hoping things become less fraught soon
Thank you! I think things are going to be fraught for a bit, since as soon as I've finished my viva I have to deal with moving house. But there are probably going to be periods of waiting around during this particular stress when I can play on LJ.

My last move was in '97. I was lucky enough to be able to design it so that I could do it in a way that minimized stress. The move itself was a leap of faith, so controlling the stresses I could was helpful. Best wishes with yours.

>looking forward to your thoughts if you decide to expand on them
Thanks, it's always good to get some encouragement.

Both rysmiel's and rho's pieces prompted more in the way of tangents for me than responses, like for example about language and gender. In the entry for gender, my dictionary mentions that, "the number of genders in languages varies from two to twenty; often the classification correlates in part with sex or animateness."

This got me wondering why, and also about the animateness piece, and thinking about how we are using words in English and how that could affect the conversations. *smile* not terribly useful for discussion; but, going back to the above remarks on the media, I like LJ for the way that seems to happen.

[khalidz0r.livejournal.com]

I don't know what a Viva is, but it looks like something you have to do something about, and I hope you do the best.

I thought I understood the quantum theory fairly well, but after reading this stuff, I realize I don't understand it as much as I thought I would, probably should read deeper books on it :P Gender theory I know very very little about, and I don't know what exactly I think about it, so that's different.

[liv]

I don't know what a Viva is
A viva is an oral exam. It's short for the Latin phrase viva voce meaning 'live voice'. This particular viva is to determine whether I pass my PhD.

I hope you do the best.
Thank you, I appreciate your good wishes!

I thought I understood the quantum theory fairly well, but after reading this stuff, I realize I don't understand it as much as I thought I would
Quantum theory is a big field. I understand the basics of it, particularly from the chemistry angle. But I don't really have the maths for the serious stuff.

Gender theory I know very very little about, and I don't know what exactly I think about it, so that's different.
Well, I've seen you posting on your journal about the annoyingness of relations between men and women in Saudi, so that's part of gender theory, I think. I get the impression it's quite a subjective field in some ways, because a lot of it is dealing with how particular people experience gender issues. There is a formal academic framework underlying it, but it's not something where the basics are taught in schools and universities like, say, physics.

[rho]

The more I study quantum mechanics, the more I realise that popula and elementary treatments of it are very superficial. They ted to be very qualitative, and also to focus on a few of the results, rather than looking at the underlying mechanisms, or how the different bits are inter-reated.

As an anaogy from cassical mechanics, I could say that any two objects dropped will fall with the same acceleration, if you remove all air resistance. I could state that as a law if I wanted to, but it's better to explain it, by appealing to Newton's law of gravitation, and Newton's second law of motion, noting that inertial mass and gravitational mass have been empirically observed to be identical, and the realising that the two masses will cancel.

Popular and elementary QM tends to say "blah blah uncertainty principle blah blah wave-particle duality blah blah tunnelling" and so on without joinin the dots. And that's perfectly reasonable since you can get a feel for the individual aspects on their own that way, and to join the dots properly requires a fairly hefty chunk of mathematics.

[khalidz0r.livejournal.com]

Hmm, I think I overstated it when I said "fairly well". I mean by that that I know the basics of QM fairly well, as a non-expert. I've just read a couple of books that go into it a bit, and thought they mentioned a good general idea, but when I read your talk about the infinite dimensions and stuff, I got totally lost and realized there is a lot more to know about it (Which is really nice, because I love learning about this stuff; the rules upon which this world operates are very interesting).

Thanks for the analogy and the actual thoughts though. Linking to areas of science that way helps one understnad both better (Or confuse people sometimes, but still - one can argue that's good too, makes us think).

[rho]

Can I just say that I really appreciate it when you make this kind of entry. It makes everything so much easier to follow and keep up with. I don't really have the energy to follow up on all of this at the moment (I wasn't expecting much more than a few responses of "huh?" to my entry) but I appreciate it none-the-less.

Also, do well on your viva.

[liv]

I really appreciate it when you make this kind of entry
Oh good, I'm glad you've found it helpful.

I wasn't expecting much more than a few responses of "huh?" to my entry
The thing about LJ is that it's quite easy to rub shoulders with experts in all kinds of esoteric subjects. My friendslist seems to have quite a few people who've done serious thinking about gender, and of course geeks of various kinds are over-represented.

Also, do well on your viva.
That's me told. I better had now! Thanks.