Dragonfruit's recent activity
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Comment on How to best navigate a career change, from a Canadian who was teaching mathematics internationally to ??? in ~life
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Comment on US President Donald Trump to make historic move towards revoking birthright citizenship in ~society
Dragonfruit Link ParentYou don't know the extent to which it affects me. You only know that I personally am not a US citizen. If you'd like to have further context: I immigrated to Canada (which is heavily influenced...You don't know the extent to which it affects me. You only know that I personally am not a US citizen.
If you'd like to have further context: I immigrated to Canada (which is heavily influenced indirectly by US politics of course) from a country without jus soli, and gained citizenship here. My niece and nephew are in the US and gained citizenship by jus soli. This is excellent for them, but given where I came from and the way I personally gained citizenship, it struck me as odd that it was a possibility.
Even if none of this were the case, people are absolutely allowed to hold opinions about the politics of other countries. I'm sure many people have opinions about the Israel-Palestine conflict despite being neither Israeli (or even Jewish) or Palestinian. For a less tenuous example, you can take data privacy laws and fines for EU citizens.
I simply came here to understand what the arguments are against Trump's actions, since clearly some must exist given I supported his decision while other people do not. This is how people develop a more refined worldview.
I've been convinced his actions are wrong, though not because of any historical precedent about jus soli (since they're irrelevant to my immigration and ancestry so I don't understand why they might still be necessary), but because he is taking the incorrect path to make the change, as it should be done through a constitutional amendment.
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Comment on US President Donald Trump to make historic move towards revoking birthright citizenship in ~society
Dragonfruit Link ParentMy goal was to learn what the arguments for jus soli are. I'm an immigrant to Canada, earned citizenship without it, and come from a country without it. My sister then had kids in the US for the...My goal was to learn what the arguments for jus soli are. I'm an immigrant to Canada, earned citizenship without it, and come from a country without it. My sister then had kids in the US for the purpose of them having citizenship, which is great for them and I support her decision from a self-focused perspective for doing so because it benefits her kids strongly.
But, it always struck me as strange that what she did was possible in the first place. I've always been opposed to it in the US and Canada, and when Trump said he wished to rescind it, in principle I supported it. However, some people clearly have strong opinions against his decision (otherwise it wouldn't make headlines), so I wanted to understand why.
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Comment on US President Donald Trump to make historic move towards revoking birthright citizenship in ~society
Dragonfruit Link ParentI'm not American so have not had American history lessons and US rights are not my own. This is an international forum.I'm not American so have not had American history lessons and US rights are not my own. This is an international forum.
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Comment on US President Donald Trump to make historic move towards revoking birthright citizenship in ~society
Dragonfruit LinkI've never understood the argument for jus soli existing and I'm not aware of any historical reason either. Most countries don't have it outside the US and Canada. This is the one thing Trump is...I've never understood the argument for jus soli existing and I'm not aware of any historical reason either. Most countries don't have it outside the US and Canada. This is the one thing Trump is doing which I support. What are the arguments against this change?
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Comment on 180bpm+ music recommendations? in ~music
Dragonfruit LinkI really like speedhouse. Haus of Panda is good (I like Ignite). Also a fan of Henry Fong (64 Impala and What's the Move are good).I really like speedhouse. Haus of Panda is good (I like Ignite). Also a fan of Henry Fong (64 Impala and What's the Move are good).
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Comment on Tildes Demographics Survey, year… uh, it’s 2024? in ~tildes
Dragonfruit LinkHey, thanks for including a question for people with dissociative disorders. It's the first time I've ever seen a question like that. It meant a lot for my partner and was very validating.Hey, thanks for including a question for people with dissociative disorders. It's the first time I've ever seen a question like that. It meant a lot for my partner and was very validating.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
Dragonfruit LinkI just finished Beckett's trilogy a few hours ago. It reminded me a lot of Faulkner's Sound and Fury, in the way that each section of the book becomes more lucid and you understood more of the...I just finished Beckett's trilogy a few hours ago. It reminded me a lot of Faulkner's Sound and Fury, in the way that each section of the book becomes more lucid and you understood more of the plot. However, the trilogy is far more ambiguous I feel in its events. I believe there's enough information in the text to make a well-supported answer to those questions, but they're very obfuscated. My favourite book was Molloy, because it seemed to pass from one setting and time to another with you only realizing several paragraphs after the transition, being unsure whether a transition even occurred or if Molloy was always there and then.
The one issue I had is with the last book, The Unnameable, feeling very repetitive towards the last 20% or so. I feel like several large pieces could have been cut here, and making for a less frustrating reading experience. I was hoping each next page would either close the book, or move on to something other than seeking and wallowing about subjects.
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Job offer in a new city -- making friends?
Hi. I'm finishing my schooling and have received a job offer on the west coast (Vancouver). I also have comparably good, though marginally worse, job offers here on the east coast where I live...
Hi. I'm finishing my schooling and have received a job offer on the west coast (Vancouver). I also have comparably good, though marginally worse, job offers here on the east coast where I live (Toronto).
I'm familiar with Toronto and have many friends here or nearby, especially since I grew up and went to school not too far. However, the offer I have in Vancouver is "better" both in terms of compensation (though not that it makes a big difference) and in terms of the actual learning experience I would have on the job.
If this job was also in Toronto I would take it immediately with no hesitation. However, it being in Vancouver gives me some pause. I've visited the city and have some mutual, but not personal, friends there. The city overall is fairly agreeable, and I enjoy the nature and scenery a lot.
Question: have any of you made similar moves, how did you feel about it retrospectively, and how did you go about establishing a friend group outside of work?
18 votes -
antediluvian
gusts of wind pick up in pace and oaken leaves they make to shake. chirps and flaps as birds make haste and hooves all trample in escape. above, the clouds, they morph and move bearing an ocean in...
gusts of wind pick up in pace
and oaken leaves they make to shake.
chirps and flaps as birds make haste
and hooves all trample in escape.above, the clouds, they morph and move
bearing an ocean in their womb.
forest florals stare in rue;
effulgence dims as darkness blooms.the rumbling clouds envelope all.
a drip, a drop. and the rain falls.
and though the canopy may stall,
a dribble starts and rends the wall.a torrent soars towards the floor.
the land, to sea, returns once more.
in time, the green but will restore.
in time, the clouds but will reform.
i wrote this at a creative writing workshop with the following three randomly generated words as the prompt: frequency, dribble, oak.
9 votes -
Multiauthor poetry anthology recommendations
I've recently finished Mary Oliver's A Poetry Handbook and have begun writing my own poems (just for fun). I feel though that I may be limited by my having read little poetry. So, I'm searching...
I've recently finished Mary Oliver's A Poetry Handbook and have begun writing my own poems (just for fun). I feel though that I may be limited by my having read little poetry. So, I'm searching for anthology recommendations to get some inspiration.
I'm not really looking for collections of "classics," just a large collection of poems generally considered to be "very good," and maybe leaning more towards contemporary (late 19th century onwards?). But I'd welcome recommendations outside of these guidelines too if anyone feels particularly strongly about some collection.
3 votes -
Comment on Ski vacations in the Alps are becoming increasingly elitist in ~travel
Dragonfruit Link ParentI'm someone who lived in SWO too and I'd hesitate to even call Boler affordable. My parents would send me there in middle school with a $100 bill when I went with my friends. This was enough to...I'm someone who lived in SWO too and I'd hesitate to even call Boler affordable. My parents would send me there in middle school with a $100 bill when I went with my friends. This was enough to cover a day pass, equipment rental, and a meal. That's a ridiculous price for a child to do something for 4-5 hours. It's hard to justify even for a middle class family like mine, which is why I only went a handful of times.
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Travel advice for Taipei, Taiwan
I'll be visiting Taipei for a little over a week in mid-January. I'm going to attend a conference, but have most evenings free and will be staying a few days after it ends too. Looking for good...
I'll be visiting Taipei for a little over a week in mid-January. I'm going to attend a conference, but have most evenings free and will be staying a few days after it ends too. Looking for good recommendations on activities in the city (museums, sights, etc.). I've heard Taipei has a very good nightlife, but unfortunately I don't know if I'll be able to experience much of that due to with whom I'm traveling.
19 votes -
Comment on Manchester United reaches agreement for Sir Jim Ratcliffe to acquire 25% of the company in ~sports.football
Dragonfruit LinkI'm definitely not envious of the lawyers and bankers having to work right up until Christmas to get this done. An announcement at 4 am on Christmas Eve is crazy.I'm definitely not envious of the lawyers and bankers having to work right up until Christmas to get this done. An announcement at 4 am on Christmas Eve is crazy.
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Comment on Chip company Arm files for Nasdaq listing in IPO anticipated to be this year’s biggest in ~finance
Dragonfruit Link ParentThis is called dual listing. Many foreign companies like doing this because it means they can raise more capital since they can sell more shares in more places if they want. Typically (at least,...This is called dual listing. Many foreign companies like doing this because it means they can raise more capital since they can sell more shares in more places if they want.
Typically (at least, for US exchanges) there will exist some entity in the US which holds a bunch of those foreign shares. The shares which trade on the US exchange are not the true shares, but an agreement that you are entitled to a one of those foreign shares held by the entity. This is called an ADR.
It's easier legally and logistically to do this rather than for the actual company to list in the US, especially if they don't have any business in the US.
The shares on all exchanges, regardless of where they are, will be the same price up to foreign exchange. If they were priced differently, then an arbitrageur would sell the more expensive one and buy the cheaper one and not only make riskless profit, but drive the prices back to equilibrium in the process.
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Comment on Are there politics in mathematics? in ~science
Dragonfruit Link ParentThis is more philosophy than mathematics, and I'm not trained as a philosopher so my answer might not be that articulate. I think it depends on what in mathematics you're speaking of. Something...This is more philosophy than mathematics, and I'm not trained as a philosopher so my answer might not be that articulate.
I think it depends on what in mathematics you're speaking of. Something like an algorithm (e.g. in computer science) or a standard proof technique definitely feels artificial and invented -- it's just something that we as humans use to convince ourselves that something is true or to achieve some goal, and there are many other ways this could have been done, with apparently the same outcome.
But a something like a definition in mathematics feels more discoverable. A good definition ends up in objects which have many satisfying properties and connections to other objects and fields, and this gives off an impression that it was somehow more latent than it seems.
This isn't something that I (or any other mathematician I've met) think of very much though.
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Comment on Are there politics in mathematics? in ~science
Dragonfruit LinkPerhaps the biggest divide is on constructivism. Constructivists reject the law of the excluded middle, which crucially amounts to rejecting proof by contradiction. This is a very useful proof...Perhaps the biggest divide is on constructivism. Constructivists reject the law of the excluded middle, which crucially amounts to rejecting proof by contradiction. This is a very useful proof technique, but frequently results in situations where you prove that some object exists but you are wholly unable to describe it or provide an example, which can be morally unappealing.
There are also some historical debates which have been more or less settled (e.g. Is the axiom of choice valid? The prevailing answer is "I don't care," followed closely by "Yes"). In addition, some esoteric views exist which are believed essentially by no one but fervently held by a few, such as ultrafinitism.
Edit: Mathematics also has many different possible foundations (e.g. type theory, category theory, or set theory). The latter-most is the standard, although the former two are heavily researched and are better suited for certain applications (such as automated theorem provers).
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Comment on PayPal launches US dollar stablecoin in ~finance
Dragonfruit Link ParentI promise I'm not being obtuse, this is something I genuinely never understood -- why DO people think gold has value? I've heard people say something about how it's used in chip manufacturing, but...I promise I'm not being obtuse, this is something I genuinely never understood -- why DO people think gold has value?
I've heard people say something about how it's used in chip manufacturing, but that can't be it. People used gold to trade millennia before transistors.
When people trade gold today they don't actually collect the gold themselves and store it in a safe, but just take on faith the certificate they have entitles them to some gold, somewhere, the location and process of collection they neither know nor care about.
It seems to me things like gold and silver have value simply because they're pretty and everyone knows what it is and it's agreed they have value. To me, this seems fundamentally no different to fiat. You can make an argument that gold is physically limited in supply, but so is granite and no is arguing to chizel their countertops in preparation for economic collapse.
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Comment on Staring into the sun in ~arts
Dragonfruit LinkI was debating on posting this in ~games, or here. I ultimately don't play video games but enjoy Jacob Geller's videos anyways due to the artistic content, so chose to post it here. He discusses...I was debating on posting this in ~games, or here. I ultimately don't play video games but enjoy Jacob Geller's videos anyways due to the artistic content, so chose to post it here. He discusses them more from an artistic and philosophical perspective, and large portions of his videos discuss art and history.
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Staring into the sun
9 votes
If you have a mathematics background it's essential trivial to become a teacher in Ontario right now. There's a shortage of math teachers now, and many schools will even guarantee you admission to teachers college if you hold a bachelor's in mathematics without an abysmally low GPA. You might not have your $100k salary immediately (though you might with your experience), but I'm fairly certain teachers with seniority exceed this all across Canada.
Someone in another comment floated the idea of an MBA to go into banking. I strongly advise against this. Many people who dream of going into banking end up hating the job and find it extremely boring. I think this will be aggravated by you having a technical background. Moreover, you're not 22 years old anymore, and will likely struggle with putting in the 80-100 hour weeks expected of an associate.
Instead, if you'd like to enter finance (in Canada) I recommend Toronto's MFE, Toronto's MMF, or Waterloo's MQF programs (in that order). An MBA is unnecessary and will actually negatively help you in gaining the jobs you likely want, outside of potentially sales and trading (though none of these programs preclude you from S&T). If you have questions about the Canadian finance scene I'm more than happy to answer.