Lots of people seem to think I'm a really clever guy.

My interests include such topics as computer programming, cryptology, 
data compression, digital signal processing, fractals, music theory, 
artificial intelligence, logic design, and so forth.

One time, I spent 4 hours shifting algebra, and managed to correctly 
derive the binomial theorum from first principles. Another time, I sat 
down and learned to program in PostScript in my lunch break, just for 
the hell of it.

Lots of people think I'm clever, but am I?

My hypothesis: I'm actually not very intelligent at all. But because I 
have no life and I'm too stupid to get bored, I make up for intelligence 
by persistence.

Basically I'm the sort of sad loser who will spend 4 hours trying to 
work out something, when normal people would give up and go do something 
productive. If I were *actually* intelligent it would only take 4 
minutes to work out. I don't think I figure things out more quickly than 
other people, it's just that I'm too stupid to get bored. My tiny little 
brain is captivated by irrelevant things like the binomial theorum for 
hours on end, while any healthy individual would go find something more 
entertaining.



In a directly related mannar, I'm beginning to realise that I'm not 
actually very good at playing music either. Even the simplest keyboard 
exercises baffle me. It seems that I can play the Widor Toccata, not so 
much because of my vast skill, but because I've expended a ridiculous 
amoung of time practising it. A *geniunely* talented musician would 
probably pick it up in a few minutes. That's why it's marked as only 
"moderate" difficulty. But it's taken me 9 months so far, and I still 
haven't mastered it yet.

Post a reply to this message

Invisible wrote:
> My hypothesis: I'm actually not very intelligent at all.

That would be incorrect.  Many intelligent people don't see how stupid most 
people are.

> Basically I'm the sort of sad loser who will spend 4 hours trying to 
> work out something, when normal people would give up and go do something 
> productive. 

You mean, they'd give up because they can't do it, and go off and do 
something they're not too stupid to do.

> while any healthy individual would go find something more entertaining.

Nonsense. You were entertaining yourself, which is more than what most 
people are capable of.

> In a directly related mannar, I'm beginning to realise that I'm not 
> actually very good at playing music either. 

Condoleezza Rice was recently on an interview I saw. She said she wanted to 
play the concert piano when she was young. When she was 15 or so, she went 
somewhere and saw 8-year-olds sight-reading music and playing it better than 
she could after months of practice. So she figured she'd need a different 
career.

I don't think she made a bad choice.

If you enjoy it, then you're good enough at it. I played music for years in 
school, and I hated it. Be happy you've found something you can enjoy 
practicing even if you aren't a natural at it.

> haven't mastered it yet.

So? :-)

-- 
   Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
   Insanity is a small city on the western
   border of the State of Mind.

Post a reply to this message

On 06/10/09 10:08, Darren New wrote:
> Invisible wrote:
>> My hypothesis: I'm actually not very intelligent at all.
>
> That would be incorrect. Many intelligent people don't see how stupid
> most people are.

	Because they usually hang around smart people. Classic case: A smart 
graduate student feeling he's worthless.

-- 
"Smoking helps you lose weight -- one lung at a time!"


                     /\  /\               /\  /
                    /  \/  \ u e e n     /  \/  a w a z
                        >>>>>>mue### [at] nawazorg<<<<<<
                                    anl

Post a reply to this message

What Darren said.  Again, stop running yourself down.  You enjoy your 
music, so keep with it.

Jim

Post a reply to this message

Mueen Nawaz wrote:
>     Because they usually hang around smart people. Classic case: A smart 
> graduate student feeling he's worthless.

That too. I often mentioned how dumb some people were, and my wife never 
believed me. It wasn't until we got to where we were buying something for 
$12, with 60% off, and the lady at the register with the calculator couldn't 
figure out whether to charge us $5 or $7 that my wife finally twigged that 
there really are people who aren't too bright.

-- 
   Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
   Insanity is a small city on the western
   border of the State of Mind.

Post a reply to this message

Invisible escreveu:
> My hypothesis: I'm actually not very intelligent at all. But because I 
> have no life and I'm too stupid to get bored, I make up for intelligence 
> by persistence.
> 
> Basically I'm the sort of sad loser who will spend 4 hours trying to 
> work out something, when normal people would give up and go do something 
> productive.

Like getting laid?  If mankind depended on such people for progress, 
we'd still be living on hunting and being hunted -- they were very 
needed indeed for repopulating after the tribe was slaughtered by lions. 
  Astute, observing, persistent people are needed for truly getting 
anywhere beyond basic wilderness.

Who knows?  Maybe those 4 hours on deriving algebra theorems will give 
you some clue about some obscure math property?

> If I were *actually* intelligent it would only take 4 
> minutes to work out.

That's a lie:
http://creatingminds.org/quotes/effort.htm

an excerpt:
‘There is no success without hardship.’
— Sophocles

spare me if you don't know the guy.

> In a directly related mannar, I'm beginning to realise that I'm not 
> actually very good at playing music either. Even the simplest keyboard 
> exercises baffle me. It seems that I can play the Widor Toccata, not so 
> much because of my vast skill, but because I've expended a ridiculous 
> amoung of time practising it. A *geniunely* talented musician would 
> probably pick it up in a few minutes.

*Genuinely* talented musicians like, say, Liszt or Mozart, began to play 
keyboard very early on their lifes, before they even learned to read. 
They were downright forced by their parents to be prodigious child.

So, if you have not been training 8 hours a day since you were 3 or 4, 
don't get pissed at your parents for not being hard enough...

Post a reply to this message

On Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:50:49 -0300, nemesis wrote:

> They
> were downright forced by their parents to be prodigious child.

There also has been research recently (I heard about on the radio) that 
also suggests that there is an innate ability, probably relating to the 
way the brain processes sound.  If Mozart's brain hadn't worked the way 
it did, he might've been a mediocre musician.

Jim

Post a reply to this message

Jim Henderson escreveu:
> On Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:50:49 -0300, nemesis wrote:
> 
>> They
>> were downright forced by their parents to be prodigious child.
> 
> There also has been research recently (I heard about on the radio) that 
> also suggests that there is an innate ability, probably relating to the 
> way the brain processes sound.  If Mozart's brain hadn't worked the way 
> it did, he might've been a mediocre musician.

I'm not at all opposed to the view that people are born with innate 
skills.  The account by Liszt parents and professors is that the kid was 
simply in awe with the piano from a very early age and naturally went on 
to try it by himself, not as pressed on as Mozart.

In any case, innate skill just make it easier, not that trainining is 
not necessary.  Nor that someone lacking such innate skills will never 
be able to gain proficient mastery by training alone.

also, I was trying to cheer up our friend... :P

-- 
a game sig: http://tinyurl.com/d3rxz9

Post a reply to this message

On Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:06:08 -0300, nemesis wrote:

> Jim Henderson escreveu:
>> On Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:50:49 -0300, nemesis wrote:
>> 
>>> They
>>> were downright forced by their parents to be prodigious child.
>> 
>> There also has been research recently (I heard about on the radio) that
>> also suggests that there is an innate ability, probably relating to the
>> way the brain processes sound.  If Mozart's brain hadn't worked the way
>> it did, he might've been a mediocre musician.
> 
> I'm not at all opposed to the view that people are born with innate
> skills.  The account by Liszt parents and professors is that the kid was
> simply in awe with the piano from a very early age and naturally went on
> to try it by himself, not as pressed on as Mozart.
> 
> In any case, innate skill just make it easier, not that trainining is
> not necessary.  Nor that someone lacking such innate skills will never
> be able to gain proficient mastery by training alone.

Well, that's hard to say.  One of the questions that is asked of 
comedians quite frequently (I've heard James Lipton ask it many times on 
Inside the Actor's Studio) is whether comedy is innate or can be 
learned.  The general consensus seems to be that there's something 
innate, and if you don't have it, you can't be an effective comedian.

Some might cite Beethoven as a counterexample, since he was deaf, but he 
wasn't always deaf.  He learned to play and compose music before he lost 
his hearing.

But the research in question wasn't just saying it was innate skill, but 
that there may be physiological reasons why a very talented musician can 
do what they do.

> also, I was trying to cheer up our friend... :P

Oh, yes, I understand that.  And having seen his playing, I think he has 
got some skill, but he also has this "instant gratification" need (my 
stepson has this, as does my wife, for that matter) that is really quite 
unrealistic for 99.999% of the population.  Not everyone is a Mozart, for 
most professional musicians, it only comes with a lot of work.  A Mozart 
or Lizst is extremely rare.

Jim

Post a reply to this message

Jim Henderson escreveu:
> Oh, yes, I understand that.  And having seen his playing, I think he has 
> got some skill, but he also has this "instant gratification" need (my 
> stepson has this, as does my wife, for that matter) that is really quite 
> unrealistic for 99.999% of the population.  Not everyone is a Mozart, for 
> most professional musicians, it only comes with a lot of work.  A Mozart 
> or Lizst is extremely rare.

Excellent point.  Instant gratification it is.  A side-effect of living 
in a consumerist society I believe.  Kinda like a perpetual hunger...

-- 
a game sig: http://tinyurl.com/d3rxz9

Post a reply to this message

On Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:25:58 -0300, nemesis wrote:

> Excellent point.  Instant gratification it is.  A side-effect of living
> in a consumerist society I believe.  Kinda like a perpetual hunger...

Yep.  And I think most people are susceptible to it - heck, I know it's 
the reason I haven't picked up my violin in several years (well, that and 
I need about $400 of work done on it) - I'd have to work to get the 
skills back and wouldn't be able to play the stuff I was playing when I 
stopped.  Doing scales is no fun, but it would be a necessary part of 
starting up again.

Jim

Post a reply to this message

On 06/10/09 11:40, Darren New wrote:
> Mueen Nawaz wrote:
>> Because they usually hang around smart people. Classic case: A smart
>> graduate student feeling he's worthless.
>
> That too. I often mentioned how dumb some people were, and my wife never
> believed me. It wasn't until we got to where we were buying something
> for $12, with 60% off, and the lady at the register with the calculator
> couldn't figure out whether to charge us $5 or $7 that my wife finally
> twigged that there really are people who aren't too bright.

	Your wife's expectations are too high.

	I just point people to Verizon Math.

	Or a mechanical engineering prof from whom I took a course. He kept 
insisting that mixing units in calculations is fundamentally wrong, and 
can never give a correct answer.

	Even if you're consistent in how you do it.

-- 
"Hex Dump" - Where Witches put used Curses?


                     /\  /\               /\  /
                    /  \/  \ u e e n     /  \/  a w a z
                        >>>>>>mue### [at] nawazorg<<<<<<
                                    anl

Post a reply to this message

Invisible wrote:
> Lots of people seem to think I'm a really clever guy.
> 

So you're asking if being able to do mathy/techy stuff makes you 
*really* clever. Maybe. I do know some guys with poor math and language 
skills who have incredible aptitude for achieving what they want in life.

I'll agree with you that in a way you are dumb because you don't seem 
very happy. From what I can tell, you are an extreme extrovert who isn't 
very effective at getting what he wants from people. A "smart" extrovert 
would have a good sense of how to please/manipulate/whatever the people 
around him.

Organ playing without aptitude and mastery of unpopular programming 
languages are dead ends - especially socially. A lot of people spend 
their time on dead-end paths. Are they dumb, or do they just enjoy being 
there? I'll have to examine that question more closely next time I find 
myself there.

  -Shay

Post a reply to this message

Jim Henderson escreveu:
> On Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:25:58 -0300, nemesis wrote:
> 
>> Excellent point.  Instant gratification it is.  A side-effect of living
>> in a consumerist society I believe.  Kinda like a perpetual hunger...
> 
> Yep.  And I think most people are susceptible to it - heck, I know it's 
> the reason I haven't picked up my violin in several years (well, that and 
> I need about $400 of work done on it) - I'd have to work to get the 
> skills back and wouldn't be able to play the stuff I was playing when I 
> stopped.  Doing scales is no fun, but it would be a necessary part of 
> starting up again.

I bought an Yamaha digital grand piano out of pure desire, but rarely I 
find either time or motivation to play it.  My interests are always 
shifting circularly, sometimes more on programming, more on povving, 
others on videogaming, music... it was so much easier concentrating on 
one thing alone when you didn't know any other way or it wasn't readily 
available... :P

-- 
a game sig: http://tinyurl.com/d3rxz9

Post a reply to this message

On Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:23:44 -0300, nemesis wrote:

> Jim Henderson escreveu:
>> On Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:25:58 -0300, nemesis wrote:
>> 
>>> Excellent point.  Instant gratification it is.  A side-effect of
>>> living in a consumerist society I believe.  Kinda like a perpetual
>>> hunger...
>> 
>> Yep.  And I think most people are susceptible to it - heck, I know it's
>> the reason I haven't picked up my violin in several years (well, that
>> and I need about $400 of work done on it) - I'd have to work to get the
>> skills back and wouldn't be able to play the stuff I was playing when I
>> stopped.  Doing scales is no fun, but it would be a necessary part of
>> starting up again.
> 
> I bought an Yamaha digital grand piano out of pure desire, but rarely I
> find either time or motivation to play it.  My interests are always
> shifting circularly, sometimes more on programming, more on povving,
> others on videogaming, music... it was so much easier concentrating on
> one thing alone when you didn't know any other way or it wasn't readily
> available... :P

I know that feeling.  I seem to shift interests in that sort of fashion 
as well - lately it's been less tweakage on my Linux systems and more 
just loafing around.  I'm trying to get the motivation to start going to 
the gym again (haven't been in a couple months as I've not felt well - 
not really ill, just not really feeling well IYKWIM).

Jim

Post a reply to this message

>> My hypothesis: I'm actually not very intelligent at all.
> 
> That would be incorrect.  Many intelligent people don't see how stupid 
> most people are.

Perhaps. I don't have any way to verify or refute this one. ;-)

>> Basically I'm the sort of sad loser who will spend 4 hours trying to 
>> work out something, when normal people would give up and go do 
>> something productive. 
> 
> You mean, they'd give up because they can't do it, and go off and do 
> something they're not too stupid to do.

They can't do it?

Or they just don't *want* to do it?

I suspect that if they bothered to try, they probably could. And most of 
them could do it a lot better than me without nearly as much effort as 
it takes for me.

I can't prove that of course. That's what makes it a hypothesis.

>> while any healthy individual would go find something more entertaining.
> 
> Nonsense. You were entertaining yourself, which is more than what most 
> people are capable of.

Maybe.

>> In a directly related mannar, I'm beginning to realise that I'm not 
>> actually very good at playing music either. 
> 
> Condoleezza Rice was recently on an interview I saw. She said she wanted 
> to play the concert piano when she was young. When she was 15 or so, she 
> went somewhere and saw 8-year-olds sight-reading music and playing it 
> better than she could after months of practice. So she figured she'd 
> need a different career.
> 
> I don't think she made a bad choice.

Well, maybe. I think we're all in agreement that my life choices thus 
far pretty much suck.

> If you enjoy it, then you're good enough at it. I played music for years 
> in school, and I hated it. Be happy you've found something you can enjoy 
> practicing even if you aren't a natural at it.
> 
>> haven't mastered it yet.
> 
> So? :-)

That's what I'm saying. To a talented musicial, this isn't that hard. 
Which fairly clearly demonstrates that I'm not a talented musician.

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

Post a reply to this message

On Wed, 10 Jun 2009 19:50:34 +0100, Orchid XP v8 wrote:

> Well, maybe. I think we're all in agreement that my life choices thus
> far pretty much suck.

Not here.  Stop running yourself down.

Jim

Post a reply to this message

On Wed, 10 Jun 2009 19:50:34 +0100, Orchid XP v8 wrote:

> That's what I'm saying. To a talented musicial, this isn't that hard.
> Which fairly clearly demonstrates that I'm not a talented musician.

Wrong.  To a talented musician, you're someone who's learning.  We all 
are always learning, just at different points on the path.

Stop running yourself down.

Jim

Post a reply to this message

On 10-6-2009 20:12, Shay wrote:
> Invisible wrote:
>> Lots of people seem to think I'm a really clever guy.

Are they?

> So you're asking if being able to do mathy/techy stuff makes you 
> *really* clever. Maybe. I do know some guys with poor math and language 
> skills who have incredible aptitude for achieving what they want in life.
> 
> I'll agree with you that in a way you are dumb because you don't seem 
> very happy. From what I can tell, you are an extreme extrovert who isn't 
> very effective at getting what he wants from people. A "smart" extrovert 
> would have a good sense of how to please/manipulate/whatever the people 
> around him.
> 
> Organ playing without aptitude and mastery of unpopular programming 
> languages are dead ends - especially socially. A lot of people spend 
> their time on dead-end paths. Are they dumb, or do they just enjoy being 
> there? I'll have to examine that question more closely next time I find 
> myself there.

They might be dead ends in itself. That does not mean they have no 
effect personally or socially. Examples: I had latin in highschool. Do I 
use that? (almost) never. Could I have used that time more productive? 
very likely. Did it help me in my further career? yes How? I haven't got 
the foggiest idea.
Same with reading Dijkstra, guarded commands are even more obscure than 
Haskell. Yet I think I am a better programmer now *and* I am still doing 
that for a living after 20 years.
What choices have made me socially to what I am (a very friendly person 
IRL and perhaps sometimes a little bit annoying on line) is harder to 
express on line, I guess.

Post a reply to this message

On 10-6-2009 18:40, Darren New wrote:
> Mueen Nawaz wrote:
>>     Because they usually hang around smart people. Classic case: A 
>> smart graduate student feeling he's worthless.
> 
> That too. I often mentioned how dumb some people were, and my wife never 
> believed me. It wasn't until we got to where we were buying something 
> for $12, with 60% off, and the lady at the register with the calculator 
> couldn't figure out whether to charge us $5 or $7 that my wife finally 
> twigged that there really are people who aren't too bright.

A friend of mine paid her lunch today with a €20 note. On the cash 
register it said she would get €2016,xx back. The girl behind the 
counter was smart unfortunately enough not to give that :(

Post a reply to this message

Orchid XP v8 wrote:
> They can't do it?

Usually "can't".  You know how often you go "That's insane! That can't 
possibly work! It's impossible!"   Well, lots of people think that about a 
lot of things.

> I suspect that if they bothered to try, they probably could.

I think you're mistaken about a lot of it.

> That's what I'm saying. To a talented musicial, this isn't that hard. 
> Which fairly clearly demonstrates that I'm not a talented musician.

That's OK. :-)

-- 
   Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
   Insanity is a small city on the western
   border of the State of Mind.

Post a reply to this message

Orchid XP v8 wrote:
> Well, maybe. I think we're all in agreement that my life choices thus 
> far pretty much suck.

Have you ever been in jail?  Have you ever accidentally injured someone to 
the extent they'll never get better?  Have you ever been involuntarily 
committed to an insane asylum?  Have you ever been homeless, eating out of 
trashcans?

Don't run yourself down.

-- 
   Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
   Insanity is a small city on the western
   border of the State of Mind.

Post a reply to this message

nemesis wrote:
> simply in awe with the piano from a very early age 

Oh, and Mozart's first few symphonies were awful, too. :-)

-- 
   Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
   Insanity is a small city on the western
   border of the State of Mind.

Post a reply to this message

> Lots of people seem to think I'm a really clever guy.
> 
> My interests include such topics as computer programming, cryptology, 
> data compression, digital signal processing, fractals, music theory, 
> artificial intelligence, logic design, and so forth.
> 
> One time, I spent 4 hours shifting algebra, and managed to correctly 
> derive the binomial theorum from first principles. Another time, I sat 
> down and learned to program in PostScript in my lunch break, just for 
> the hell of it.
> 
> Lots of people think I'm clever, but am I?
> 
> My hypothesis: I'm actually not very intelligent at all. But because I 
> have no life and I'm too stupid to get bored, I make up for intelligence 
> by persistence.
> 
> Basically I'm the sort of sad loser who will spend 4 hours trying to 
> work out something, when normal people would give up and go do something 
> productive. If I were *actually* intelligent it would only take 4 
> minutes to work out. I don't think I figure things out more quickly than 
> other people, it's just that I'm too stupid to get bored. My tiny little 
> brain is captivated by irrelevant things like the binomial theorum for 
> hours on end, while any healthy individual would go find something more 
> entertaining.
> 
> In a directly related mannar, I'm beginning to realise that I'm not 
> actually very good at playing music either. Even the simplest keyboard 
> exercises baffle me. It seems that I can play the Widor Toccata, not so 
> much because of my vast skill, but because I've expended a ridiculous 
> amoung of time practising it. A *geniunely* talented musician would 
> probably pick it up in a few minutes. That's why it's marked as only 
> "moderate" difficulty. But it's taken me 9 months so far, and I still 
> haven't mastered it yet.

Yeah, maybe you have a mild form of Savant syndrome...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savant_syndrome
or maybe Asperger's syndrome...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asperger%27s_syndrome
I wouldn't worry about it too much.
My theory is, if you were really retarded, you'd be much smarter.
There's a good paradox for you.  =)

After you worry about that for a while, you can worry about
actually being too average to matter. There's nothing worse
than unintended mediocrity.

Post a reply to this message

On Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:46:11 -0700, Darren New wrote:

> nemesis wrote:
>> simply in awe with the piano from a very early age
> 
> Oh, and Mozart's first few symphonies were awful, too. :-)

I rather like K16a, though.  But it is a rare gem out of those early 
works, too.

Jim

Post a reply to this message

On Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:16:55 -0400, Jim Henderson wrote:

> Well, that's hard to say.  One of the questions that is asked of
> comedians quite frequently (I've heard James Lipton ask it many times on
> Inside the Actor's Studio) is whether comedy is innate or can be
> learned.  The general consensus seems to be that there's something
> innate, and if you don't have it, you can't be an effective comedian.

Thinking about this a bit more, Andy, you would probably benefit (at 
least - you might also find it funny, depending on your sense of humour) 
from watching the episode of Inside the Actor's Studio with Robin 
Williams.  I found it quite funny, but there was a lot in the interview 
(as there is in all episodes of that programme) about taking risks, 
summed up by a question that one of the students asked in the Q&A at the 
end of the episode about how Williams can risk so much.

His answer to that question was fascinating and I think you might find it 
interesting to see someone who arguably has been very successful talk 
about the missteps in his career (yeah, speaking of making bad life 
choices, Williams went through drug rehab - you haven't done that, have 
you?  Talk about life choices that suck, Williams talked about how much 
that sucked and what a bad choice it was) as well as the good stuff.

If you can get the episode in the UK, I highly recommend it.  It is 
available on DVD (I watched it both on TV and the extended version on 
DVD).

Jim

Post a reply to this message

Darren New wrote:
> Orchid XP v8 wrote:
>> Well, maybe. I think we're all in agreement that my life choices thus 
>> far pretty much suck.
> 
> Have you ever been in jail?  Have you ever accidentally injured someone 
> to the extent they'll never get better?  Have you ever been 
> involuntarily committed to an insane asylum?  Have you ever been 
> homeless, eating out of trashcans?
> 
> Don't run yourself down.

No, but opinion seems unanimous that there are a vast number of simple 
things I could have done different - much for the better. :-/

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

Post a reply to this message

"Orchid XP v8" <voi### [at] devnull> wrote in message 
news:4a313b81$1@news.povray.org...
> Darren New wrote:
>> Orchid XP v8 wrote:
>>> Well, maybe. I think we're all in agreement that my life choices thus 
>>> far pretty much suck.
>>
>> Have you ever been in jail?  Have you ever accidentally injured someone 
>> to the extent they'll never get better?  Have you ever been involuntarily 
>> committed to an insane asylum?  Have you ever been homeless, eating out 
>> of trashcans?
>>
>> Don't run yourself down.
>
> No, but opinion seems unanimous that there are a vast number of simple 
> things I could have done different - much for the better. :-/

     Jeez. Such as? What was so simple you could have done different in 
life? You chose what you like doing, and that's perfectly fine. It's also 
perfectly fine to change any path in your life, to anything else that you 
might want to follow and might find useful. You just have to do it.

     And anyway, who's opinion? Certainly not mine.

    Seriously, (I've said it before and so have many others), the one thing 
that's holding you back now is living at home. If you can find *anything* 
that's comfortable for you to live in, you will feel so liberated. And 
that's just the start to what I think will be a truly *good* life for you. 
Stay at home, fail.

      ~Steve~


>
> -- 
> http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
> http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

Post a reply to this message

Invisible <voi### [at] devnull> wrote:
> Lots of people seem to think I'm a really clever guy.
>

OFFS!

What does it matter?
Consider the lilies of the field...

Your dumb friend Stephen

Post a reply to this message

Jim Henderson escreveu:
> His answer to that question was fascinating and I think you might find it 
> interesting to see someone who arguably has been very successful talk 
> about the missteps in his career (yeah, speaking of making bad life 
> choices, Williams went through drug rehab - you haven't done that, have 
> you?  Talk about life choices that suck, Williams talked about how much 
> that sucked and what a bad choice it was) as well as the good stuff.

Man, I hope it was heroin or marijuana, cause Robin Williams is too 
over-the-top without even coffee! :)

I like the guy, sure...

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Darren New escreveu:
> nemesis wrote:
>> simply in awe with the piano from a very early age 
> 
> Oh, and Mozart's first few symphonies were awful, too. :-)

Never had the chance to listen to any one of them, but I don't doubt it. 
  Still, I'm sure it's better than my daughter free jamming at the 
piano... :P

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On Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:14:42 +0100, Orchid XP v8 wrote:

>  there are a vast number of simple
> things I could have done different - much for the better. :-/

Welcome to life - we all suffer from that problem.  Hindsight is a 
wonderful thing in that it is often 20/20.  Foresight is rarely that good.

Jim

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On Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:11:45 -0300, nemesis wrote:

> Jim Henderson escreveu:
>> His answer to that question was fascinating and I think you might find
>> it interesting to see someone who arguably has been very successful
>> talk about the missteps in his career (yeah, speaking of making bad
>> life choices, Williams went through drug rehab - you haven't done that,
>> have you?  Talk about life choices that suck, Williams talked about how
>> much that sucked and what a bad choice it was) as well as the good
>> stuff.
> 
> Man, I hope it was heroin or marijuana, cause Robin Williams is too
> over-the-top without even coffee! :)
> 
> I like the guy, sure...

Cocaine, IIRC.

Jim

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