Open thread, Jan. 12 - Jan. 18, 2015

Gondolinian

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Hey...

I'm new here. Hi.

I was recently re-reading the original blogs (e-reader form and all that), and noticed a comment by Eliezer something to the effect of "Someone should really write 'The simple mathematics of everything' ".

I would like to write that thing.

I'm currently starting my PhD in mathematics, with several relevant side interests (physics, computing, evolutionary biology, story telling), and the intention of teaching/lecturering one day.

Now... If someone's already got this project sorted out (it has been a few years), great... however I notice that the wiki originally started for it is looking a little sad, (diffusion of responsibility perhaps).

So... if the project HAS NOT been sorted out yet, then I'd be interested in taking a crack at it: It'll be good writing/teaching practice for me, and give me an excuse to read up on the subjects I HAVEN'T got yet, and it'll hopefully end up being a useful resource for other people by the time I'm finished (and hopefully even when I'm under way)

I was hoping I could get a few questions answered while I'm here: 1) Has "the simple mathematics of everything" already been taken care of? If so, where? 2) Does anyone know what wiki/blog formats might be useful (and free maybe?) and ABLE TO SUPPORT EQUATION. 3) Any other comments/advice/whatever?

Cheers, Babblefish.

Any other comments/advice/whatever?

I think I have noticed a frequent failure pattern when people try writing about complicated stuff. It goes like this:

Article #1: in which I describe the wide range of stuff I plan to handle in this series of articles
Article #2: introduction
Article #3: even more introduction, since the introduction from the previous article didn't seem enough
Article #4: reaction to some comments in the previous articles
Article #5: explaining some misunderstandings in comments in the previous articles
Article #6 ...I am a

... (read more)

0IlyaShpitser11y

Since you asked, my advice is to not work on ill-posed problems. More concretely, ask your advisor for advice on developing a good nose for problems to work on. Where are you starting?

3Shmi11y

Good luck. 'The simple mathematics of everything' is not an easy task. Maybe not even doable. But it's a noble goal.

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Open thread, Jan. 12 - Jan. 18, 2015

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