You might have noticed that I love visuals.
You might have also noticed that I love patterns.
You might have also also noticed that I use patterns and visuals to create comedy.
You can see why math was an obvious route when I first got to college: Why not learn the official rule book for patterns? There is a "rate" to comic timing. Why not learn the rule book for comedy?
My Love for Humorous Visual Patterns Didn't Quite Make It Into the Third Dimension
Well, when I got into Multi-Variable Calculus (i.e., 3D Calculus) that failed. It failed because the patterns became more or less like any other in-depth study; so wide-spread and detailed that my basic understanding and desire to only understand it in a basic way kind of thwarted my goal.
Anyway, while flitting out of math and feeling all blue about it, I remember someone telling me that the meaning of life is the summation of all your experiences, not just about hitting pointed markers in life.
I've never quite forgotten it. And as a sort of joke I decided to take that theory literally and put it into mathematical terms.
That's when I came up with this.
This Is Your Life On Math
It's ok if you're not following this.
Really, I am not going to test you on it.
I just wonder if I have actually found a way to mathematically describe the meaning of life. A while ago I had been working hard on a function for sense of humor and then comic timing by taking the derivative of a sense of humor, but apparently some Swiss Mathematician had already beaten me to it. I will say this, though--mine was pretty close to his, in a sort of I-used-the-letter-B-and-you-used-the-letter-H-to-describe-the-same-variable" kind of way.
I'm still bummed about that.
I Don't Want to Calculate The Meaning of My Life
Anyway, if we were to graph a life using the above formula for the function of life, then this is mine up until Summer, 2009. It is because of this that I have decided to not take the next step and "add" up my life experiences thus far.
Intriguing, no?
Next week: The Buddhism and the Four Golden Rules of Buddha!
-Beryl
Woo Update: There are no words.
you are absolutely, without a doubt, fantastic. :cD
ReplyDeletethank you for being creative and witty and funny and not just *having* a blog to be one place where these things get assembled and magical things emerge, but also that you continue it! you've got enough pizazz to light up a night sky. i bet you could even come up with a formula for THAT! take that, Swiss mathematician.
rock on. and i must see you before i leave. which may or may not be on the 19th. hah.
I was wondering how Woo and her plushophilia/S&M were going to fit in to the mathematical originality of your blog, but since its Woo it doesn't really matter. And as for next week I thought there are five for Buddhism instead of four?
ReplyDeleteAlana! Stop flattering me--I am too susceptible to it. Also, I sent you a letter as of last night while walking in the rain, thinking of you. How romantic/hypothermic of me, I know. AH!
ReplyDeleteJenny! I honestly did not know how to incorporate Woo this week. In fact, it's generally a challenge to figure that out every week, seeing as she basically is the most popular subject and I am a whore for attention, apparently. Re: Buddhism ended up being put on the back-burner this week. I decided I wanted to talk about something even more difficult to pin down. More soon!