Please don't take this too seriously.

[Lorizael]

If you want to be a true baller, take her to the doctor and pay for her to get an IUD... or "the shot"

Not sure if that's the right choice for a first date, but I'll take your advice under consideration.

[Sava]

She will respect your confidence and blow you on the spot if you suggest that activity.

[Lorizael]

And I'm registered for the Spring semester.

Astr 121 - Introductory Astrophysics II - Stars and Beyond - For students majoring in astronomy or with a strong interest in science Includes instrumentation, stellar properties, stellar evolution, structure of the galaxy, other galaxies, large scale structure, Big Bang Theory, and future of the universe.

I've enjoyed semester 1 of astronomy, but it's mostly been a review of introductory physics plus some stuff about planets. Second semester should be much more interesting, although I'm not looking forward to memorizing the spectral types of stars.

Phys 373 - Mathematical Methods for Physics II - A second course in mathematical methods for physics. Topics include Fourier Analysis, Power Series Solution of Differential Equations, Partial Differential Equations, and Complex Analysis.

This is basically a math class. I haven't taken any math since fall of 2013, so it'll be good to get back into that. It's weird, though. When I was much younger, I always looked to my eldest brother for help with my math. I can't do that anymore, because my math knowledge surpasses his. He's still inherently better at math than I am, though, and if we were to take the same classes, he'd do better in them.

Ling 240 - Language and Mind - The study of language as a cognitive phenomenon. Focus on mastering the concepts and technical skills required for further courses in linguistics. Ways of representing people's knowledge of their native language, ways in which that knowledge is attained naturally by children, and how it is used in speaking and listening. Additional topics may include: animal communication, language and the brain, language and thought.

I've suddenly become quite turned on by linguistics, and not just because of TA. Modern linguistics is framed as a method of studying the brain by looking at what comes out of the mouth, and that's pretty darn fascinating to me.

Phil 282 - Free Will & Determinism - A study of the main positions and arguments in the free will debate in contemporary analytic philosophy.

This class should be a piece of cake since I solved the free will thing over a decade ago (there is none).

[pchang]

Phil 282 - Free Will & Determinism - A study of the main positions and arguments in the free will debate in contemporary analytic philosophy.

This class should be a piece of cake since I solved the free will thing over a decade ago (there is none).

What are you, a Calvinist?

[Lorizael]

No, I just don't believe that one particular species of mammal evolved the ability to break the laws of physics.

[rah]

What's the end game? As in what kind of career is this heading towards.

[Lorizael]

No idea. In a couple years I'll have a BS in Astronomy, which is not particularly useful in and of itself. The traditional route from there is grad school. Things I could do instead include teaching some high school science, writing about science, getting any kind of job where having a degree means I get paid more, getting a job where I can convince my employer that having a science degree means I'm good at problem-solving...

[Sava]

[The Mad Monk]

Astronomy, I think.

And I'm registered for the Spring semester.

Astr 121 - Introductory Astrophysics II - Stars and Beyond - For students majoring in astronomy or with a strong interest in science Includes instrumentation, stellar properties, stellar evolution, structure of the galaxy, other galaxies, large scale structure, Big Bang Theory, and future of the universe.

I've enjoyed semester 1 of astronomy, but it's mostly been a review of introductory physics plus some stuff about planets. Second semester should be much more interesting, although I'm not looking forward to memorizing the spectral types of stars.

Oh Be A Fine Girl Kiss Me?

[Lorizael]

I could, of course, be the next next Carl Sagan.

[Sava]

no love for NDGT?

[Lorizael]

He's the next Carl Sagan. So I'd have to be the next next.

[Lorizael]

Also, self esteem low today. Pretty sure I don't get this whole statistical thermodynamics thing. Hoping for a C, otherwise I'll have to retake it. Which might not be a bad thing. Not fond of the professor's style, though my lack of understanding is definitely not his fault.

[pchang]

Also, self esteem low today. Pretty sure I don't get this whole statistical thermodynamics thing. Hoping for a C, otherwise I'll have to retake it. Which might not be a bad thing. Not fond of the professor's style, though my lack of understanding is definitely not his fault.

The concept is not too hard. We have a way to aggregate the collective behavior of lots of small things to come up with gross measurements of large things like pressure and temperature. The methods involve statistics because they rely upon the fact that those collections of small things have normal distributions.

[Lorizael]

Well, I've taken most of a semester of it now. I understand the basic idea. I think the problem is that this class doesn't really build on the earlier physics I've taken and many of the values we're deriving don't have any physical meaning for me. For example, my intuition tells me nothing about the Gibbs free energy of some gas.