Comments on: The Real World http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/12/17/the-real-world/ Random samplings from a universe of ideas. Fri, 05 Dec 2008 04:16:10 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: Christine Dantas http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/12/17/the-real-world/#comment-23251 Christine Dantas Tue, 26 Dec 2006 16:32:28 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/12/17/the-real-world/#comment-23251 Sissi wrote: <i>sometimes want to be locked up in a room, studing phylosophy, physics, whatever, and relating with people that make me want to study even more.</i> This would be paradise for me. I've been in a "bubble" for a long time (most part of my life) and suddenly found myself in the "real world" (out of academia, but at technically demanding job: developing embedded software for rockets). Now I'm in the process of somehow "getting back". I'm eager to have this opportunity soon. I simply don't see how one can live a life without dedicating herself (professionally) to the fundamental questions of nature. So when I am "forced" not to do this, it is... painful. Christine (also from Brazil). Sissi wrote:

sometimes want to be locked up in a room, studing phylosophy, physics, whatever, and relating with people that make me want to study even more.

This would be paradise for me.

I’ve been in a “bubble” for a long time (most part of my life) and suddenly found myself in the “real world” (out of academia, but at technically demanding job: developing embedded software for rockets). Now I’m in the process of somehow “getting back”. I’m eager to have this opportunity soon.

I simply don’t see how one can live a life without dedicating herself (professionally) to the fundamental questions of nature. So when I am “forced” not to do this, it is… painful.

Christine (also from Brazil).

]]> By: citrine http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/12/17/the-real-world/#comment-23294 citrine Tue, 26 Dec 2006 16:07:09 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/12/17/the-real-world/#comment-23294 Everyone in the workforce produces goods, services, ideas or a combination thereof. It seems to me that people characterize an occupation as real according to the value they place on the end product/ service etc. Everyone in the workforce produces goods, services, ideas or a combination thereof. It seems to me that people characterize an occupation as real according to the value they place on the end product/ service etc.

]]> By: Sean http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/12/17/the-real-world/#comment-23293 Sean Sat, 23 Dec 2006 03:02:32 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/12/17/the-real-world/#comment-23293 Qubit, the real world is a big place. I was at a pub in England just last week, enjoying a Guinness and working through a calculation, with Scott Dodelson's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Cosmology-Scott-Dodelson/dp/0122191412/" rel="nofollow">Modern Cosmology</a> book in front of me. The young bartender asked to take a peek at it, and was fascinated, although he admitted to "not having the maths." But he had read <em>The Elegant Universe</em>, so I gave him a few more recommendations along those lines. Takes all kinds -- fortunately. Qubit, the real world is a big place. I was at a pub in England just last week, enjoying a Guinness and working through a calculation, with Scott Dodelson’s Modern Cosmology book in front of me. The young bartender asked to take a peek at it, and was fascinated, although he admitted to “not having the maths.” But he had read The Elegant Universe, so I gave him a few more recommendations along those lines. Takes all kinds — fortunately.

]]> By: Qubit http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/12/17/the-real-world/#comment-23292 Qubit Fri, 22 Dec 2006 22:06:55 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/12/17/the-real-world/#comment-23292 I mean remind not remained. I mean remind not remained.

]]> By: Qubit http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/12/17/the-real-world/#comment-23291 Qubit Fri, 22 Dec 2006 22:03:20 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/12/17/the-real-world/#comment-23291 I've been dying to right a comment in this post, but I just can't think of anything to say about "the real world". I guess it just exactly where I live, middle England as in middle class, "blue collar worker", as my manager like to remained me when I ask for sick pay. We get Smack heads with hoods up and itchy noses walking passed our house, looking for easy raise. Going down to the local for a pint it not any better, say the wrong thing to some people and they will ether kick hell out of you or buy someone a pint to stamp on your head until blood comes out of your ears. I confronted some people in my garden the other night, I ask them to get out and the just said to me "You best just go back in side mate!" "The real world!" it's just a place were most people are trying to escape from! Qubit I’ve been dying to right a comment in this post, but I just can’t think of anything to say about “the real world”. I guess it just exactly where I live, middle England as in middle class, “blue collar worker”, as my manager like to remained me when I ask for sick pay. We get Smack heads with hoods up and itchy noses walking passed our house, looking for easy raise.

Going down to the local for a pint it not any better, say the wrong thing to some people and they will ether kick hell out of you or buy someone a pint to stamp on your head until blood comes out of your ears.
I confronted some people in my garden the other night, I ask them to get out and the just said to me “You best just go back in side mate!”

“The real world!” it’s just a place were most people are trying to escape from!

Qubit

]]> By: Maureen http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/12/17/the-real-world/#comment-23290 Maureen Thu, 21 Dec 2006 21:51:34 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/12/17/the-real-world/#comment-23290 "This is Maureen. She graduated, and now she's a <i>real person</i>"--my roommate, on introducing me to a friend. The University of Chicago is a bubble. And I mean that in a loving way. We were aware of the world outside Hyde Park--we protested against the war and helped political campaigns--but after long immersions in the warm bath of intellectual debate, it's difficult to make small talk at the Thanksgiving table with extended family members whose concerns are more pragmatic--the need to pay the cable bill, feed the dog, get the kids to school, and finish the status report before Tuesday. Add to that the fact that I majored in mathematics but found my true passions in the intricacies of politics and public policy and the somewhat related field of intellectual history/ history of science... and the fact that I never watched TV... I found that asking about people's children was safe. So I've graduated. And I'm typing this at a workstation at the job I've had for the past six months but which I'll be leaving tomorrow (project work, don't you know). I'm currently looking forward to staying in the "real world" of relatively non-intellectually-challenging work for about eighteen to twenty-one more months (as soon as I find a new job... and then law school. It'll be good to engage in intellectual play again. Maybe that's why people accuse academia of not being "the real world"--because research and learning <i>are</i> play, of a sense. Most people are forced to enter jobs that don't allow the full exercise of their mental faculties, and they envy those who have the resources to choose to do otherwise. “This is Maureen. She graduated, and now she’s a real person“–my roommate, on introducing me to a friend.

The University of Chicago is a bubble. And I mean that in a loving way. We were aware of the world outside Hyde Park–we protested against the war and helped political campaigns–but after long immersions in the warm bath of intellectual debate, it’s difficult to make small talk at the Thanksgiving table with extended family members whose concerns are more pragmatic–the need to pay the cable bill, feed the dog, get the kids to school, and finish the status report before Tuesday. Add to that the fact that I majored in mathematics but found my true passions in the intricacies of politics and public policy and the somewhat related field of intellectual history/ history of science… and the fact that I never watched TV… I found that asking about people’s children was safe.

So I’ve graduated. And I’m typing this at a workstation at the job I’ve had for the past six months but which I’ll be leaving tomorrow (project work, don’t you know). I’m currently looking forward to staying in the “real world” of relatively non-intellectually-challenging work for about eighteen to twenty-one more months (as soon as I find a new job… and then law school. It’ll be good to engage in intellectual play again.

Maybe that’s why people accuse academia of not being “the real world”–because research and learning are play, of a sense. Most people are forced to enter jobs that don’t allow the full exercise of their mental faculties, and they envy those who have the resources to choose to do otherwise.

]]> By: Kaleberg http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/12/17/the-real-world/#comment-23289 Kaleberg Thu, 21 Dec 2006 05:46:37 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/12/17/the-real-world/#comment-23289 Do physicists break their work into the physics world, doing science, and the real world, making a living doing science? Is attending a funding meeting, doing a budget or reading through a pile of resumes more real than reading the literature, building a model or analyzing data? There is also the half world, the world of courtesans, questionable gentlemen and those not quite respectable. The French call it the demimonde, and presumably it has spin of 1/2. I have no idea of how members of the half world refer to the real world, which presumably has a spin of 1. Do physicists break their work into the physics world, doing science, and the real world, making a living doing science? Is attending a funding meeting, doing a budget or reading through a pile of resumes more real than reading the literature, building a model or analyzing data?

There is also the half world, the world of courtesans, questionable gentlemen and those not quite respectable. The French call it the demimonde, and presumably it has spin of 1/2. I have no idea of how members of the half world refer to the real world, which presumably has a spin of 1.

]]> By: Sissi http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/12/17/the-real-world/#comment-23246 Sissi Wed, 20 Dec 2006 19:39:12 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/12/17/the-real-world/#comment-23246 I always described myself as someone trying to fit in the real world. I love abstract issues and had a hard time to find peers with same interests. Today I work at a bank, here in Brazil. I started dressing better, learning how to relate with different people, that not always understand what i say (actually, most of the time). I learned how to deal with different grades of schorlaship (dont know if this is right, used to speak english a long time ago, lol), people that dont know (nor want to) simple things, like an excel formula. I miss the "unreal world" and sometimes want to be locked up in a room, studing phylosophy, physics, whatever, and relating with people that make me want to study even more. To live what you live. But i feel this is not "right" (why?!). My father is a real world man. He is bright, incredible on this real world thing. And my dream is to be like him. I feel my craving for knowledge, my wanting to live the academic world, they are my weakness, which i have to hide. Maybe i'm hybrid real/unreal. :o) I always described myself as someone trying to fit in the real world. I love abstract issues and had a hard time to find peers with same interests. Today I work at a bank, here in Brazil. I started dressing better, learning how to relate with different people, that not always understand what i say (actually, most of the time). I learned how to deal with different grades of schorlaship (dont know if this is right, used to speak english a long time ago, lol), people that dont know (nor want to) simple things, like an excel formula. I miss the “unreal world” and sometimes want to be locked up in a room, studing phylosophy, physics, whatever, and relating with people that make me want to study even more. To live what you live. But i feel this is not “right” (why?!). My father is a real world man. He is bright, incredible on this real world thing. And my dream is to be like him. I feel my craving for knowledge, my wanting to live the academic world, they are my weakness, which i have to hide.

Maybe i’m hybrid real/unreal. :o)

]]> By: Zero http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/12/17/the-real-world/#comment-23247 Zero Wed, 20 Dec 2006 13:00:07 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/12/17/the-real-world/#comment-23247 Sean, I am in awe of your credentials. You are to be commended for your accomplishments. True, everyone is into their own world and that's good. I don't know the meaning of "milieux", so I tried to look it up. I assume it means middle since I could only find "milieu". IMO, life's answers cannot be found with a telescope or microscope. Infinite has two directions, big and small. Reality is between "too big" and "too small", plus and minus. Happy Hollidays Zero Sean, I am in awe of your credentials. You are to be commended for your
accomplishments.
True, everyone is into their own world and that’s good.
I don’t know the meaning of “milieux”, so I tried to look it up. I assume
it means middle since I could only find “milieu”.
IMO, life’s answers cannot be found with a telescope or microscope.
Infinite has two directions, big and small.
Reality is between “too big” and “too small”, plus and minus.

Happy Hollidays

Zero

]]> By: Spatulated http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/12/17/the-real-world/#comment-23248 Spatulated Wed, 20 Dec 2006 01:40:13 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/12/17/the-real-world/#comment-23248 My dads friend is a concrete finisher, and wouldn't have it anyother way. he "build seattle" with his bare hands and keeps asking his son (my friend) to drop physics and come work with him in "the real world" (though note, he is very supportive most of the time) My dads friend is a concrete finisher, and wouldn’t have it anyother way. he “build seattle” with his bare hands and keeps asking his son (my friend) to drop physics and come work with him in “the real world” (though note, he is very supportive most of the time)

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