Monthly Archives: April 2013

Conundrum

Posted on April 23, 2013 by thevenerablecorvex

So, now that I know that I will be spending my summer at the school in France (and therefore that there is no point to looking for a job just now), I am pleased to say that I can focus … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Advice Worth Taking

Posted on April 21, 2013 by thevenerablecorvex

The guest-speaker at my undergraduate convocation was a relatively-famous* radio personality and science popularizer. He had some advice for the gathered students: Get the heck off of North America. Throw a dart at a map of the world and just … Continue reading →

Posted in Academics, Personal Stuff, Science | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The Fallibility of Peer Review

Posted on April 20, 2013 by thevenerablecorvex

An interesting article turned up on the BBC website today; apparently, a student has discovered fundamental calculation errors in a seminal 2010 economics paper making the case for austerity. I am not an economist, and I have not read this … Continue reading →

Posted in Academics | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Toronto Star’s Flaccid Response

Posted on April 20, 2013 by thevenerablecorvex

I was not the only one who found Rosie DiManno’s monstrous bit of rape apology to be deeply offensive, as it turns out: several others wrote in to the paper to complain, and a petition is circulating online, calling (as … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Digits of Pi

Posted on April 20, 2013 by thevenerablecorvex

I have an advanced degree in mathematical physics. How many digits of pi do you suppose that I know off of the top of my head? The answer may surprise you. The answer is six. I know 3.14159. That’s it; … Continue reading →

Posted in Science | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fire Rosie DiManno.

Posted on April 14, 2013 by thevenerablecorvex

[Warning: I’m about to discuss issues of sexual assault.] I am not, as you know, much of a fan of print media in Canada these days. But if there was one daily newspaper in the entire country that I considered … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

What I Won’t Do For Money

Posted on April 10, 2013 by thevenerablecorvex

It turns out that my mathematical abilities are very much in demand amongst “payday lending” companies. I however am not even going to apply for such jobs. Unemployment would be preferable to helping these parasites. The entire industry is an … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal Stuff | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Life Continues

Posted on April 8, 2013 by thevenerablecorvex

Once upon a time, I embarked upon a degree program in theoretical physics out of a sincere and heartfelt desire to understand the Universe at its most fundamental level. This dream became obscured during the years of hard-work and stressful … Continue reading →

Posted in Academics, Personal Stuff, Physics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Don’t Be A Dick.

Posted on April 5, 2013 by thevenerablecorvex

We can all agree, I think, that all forms of oppression can be charitably regarded as being “dick moves.” However, while all oppression is dickish, not all dickishness is necessarily oppressive. Case in point (relying on my own experience, so … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal Stuff, Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments