Comments on: Seeing in the dark http://www.topofthemountains.net/2007/03/17/seeing-in-the-dark/ "Hitch your wagon to a star." —Ralph Waldo Emerson Fri, 21 Nov 2008 09:59:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Ben http://www.topofthemountains.net/2007/03/17/seeing-in-the-dark/#comment-30059 Ben Sat, 24 Mar 2007 03:48:55 +0000 http://www.topofthemountains.net/2007/03/17/seeing-in-the-dark/#comment-30059 Balance is good. And I agree with you: doing math uses a part of the brain that rarely gets used by the humanities, and it feels so good (well, it does when you can figure the problems out :)). I need to figure out a comprehensive, cross-discipline plan of study for after I graduate -- math, biology, chemistry, physics, anthropology, geography, geology, botany, meteorology, history, economics, statistics, you name it. Mmm. I seriously can't wait. (And yes, anime is surprisingly uninteresting to me as well. I tried watching <i>Howl's Moving Castle</i> a couple months ago but couldn't stand it after ten minutes. Oh well.) Balance is good. And I agree with you: doing math uses a part of the brain that rarely gets used by the humanities, and it feels so good (well, it does when you can figure the problems out :)). I need to figure out a comprehensive, cross-discipline plan of study for after I graduate — math, biology, chemistry, physics, anthropology, geography, geology, botany, meteorology, history, economics, statistics, you name it. Mmm. I seriously can’t wait. (And yes, anime is surprisingly uninteresting to me as well. I tried watching Howl’s Moving Castle a couple months ago but couldn’t stand it after ten minutes. Oh well.)

]]> By: Haley http://www.topofthemountains.net/2007/03/17/seeing-in-the-dark/#comment-29834 Haley Thu, 22 Mar 2007 15:51:40 +0000 http://www.topofthemountains.net/2007/03/17/seeing-in-the-dark/#comment-29834 I have been complaining all semester that I miss math and science. As an English major, I feel I have a right to do so. As it is, I am in a boiled-down physical science class right now, which helps, but I miss the act of doing mathematics. It used a different part of my brain (and was always more work for me than language and literature and artsy-type things), which I now feel is shrinking. I took calculus as a high school junior, and now I panic at the thought of a complex algebraic equation. What good is that? It is true that we can't know everything, which has always been a setback for me. I am interested in everything (except perhaps anime). The thing is, in high school, though I resented having to take "required" classes, the balance of scientific/mathematic and arts/language classes gave me just that: balance. Maybe that is why one of my favorite magazines is Discover. I have been complaining all semester that I miss math and science. As an English major, I feel I have a right to do so. As it is, I am in a boiled-down physical science class right now, which helps, but I miss the act of doing mathematics. It used a different part of my brain (and was always more work for me than language and literature and artsy-type things), which I now feel is shrinking. I took calculus as a high school junior, and now I panic at the thought of a complex algebraic equation. What good is that?
It is true that we can’t know everything, which has always been a setback for me. I am interested in everything (except perhaps anime).
The thing is, in high school, though I resented having to take “required” classes, the balance of scientific/mathematic and arts/language classes gave me just that: balance.

Maybe that is why one of my favorite magazines is Discover.

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