Monday, November 17, 2008

$

I was IM-ing with my friend John about choices for health insurance, and he said something I found funny:

"I am what is known as 'bad with money', i.e. my math skills are great until I see a dollar sign."

This reminded me of something he said a few years ago:

John: My checking account is almost overdrawn.

Me: How come this is happening now when it never did before?

John: Well, I used to have a system of checks and balances, in that I would check my balance.

18 comments:

  1. I, too, am good at math, but bad with money. I don't like to deny myself so I spend nearly everything I have.

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  2. Extremely stupid question: Is John bad with money in locales where they don't denote the local currency with a dollar sign?

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  3. I don't have a problem with money. Whatever I make, someone else takes. Government, Utilities, the wife.....

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  4. I wish we could do without money, honestly. The acquisition of things is so much wasted effort. There doesn't need to be a store of value beyond who you are (as a person) and what you can do, after the basic needs of subsistence are met. Alright, fine--you can keep your Wii. :)

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  5. There doesn't need to be a store of value beyond who you are (as a person) and what you can do, after the basic needs of subsistence are met.

    Then how would we keep score?

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  6. Then how would we keep score?

    It's hopeless, isn't it?

    Easy: When you are born, your score is one. When you die, your score becomes zero. Thus, everyone knows the score, and their focus moves elsewhere.

    Alas, cannot resist the obligatory Blade Runner reference:

    Bryant: You know the score, pal. If you're not a cop, you're little people.

    Deckard: No choice, eh?

    Bryant: No choice, pal.

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  7. Lively R.I.P.

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  8. Sorry to hear about Lively as well... Google didn't really give it much of a runway...

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  9. I just heard the news this morning. Sorry, N. :(

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  10. Going by Google counts, mathematicians might not be so poor after all.

    "poor mathematician" --> 2970
    "poor scientist" --> 4730
    "poor grad student" --> 8560
    "poor writer" --> 33800

    Of course, this is coalescing all senses of "poor".

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  11. How do you feel about the closing of Lively? That's sad, although not entirely incomprenhensible.

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  12. Are you sad about your dead project?

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  13. Having a project cancelled is just a basic fact of life when you develop commercial software for a living. It happens all the time, and you eventually learn not to take it personally (or you find another line of work).

    Ironically, I am currently part of a team working on an eerily similar project (with an educational slant) that will almost certainly meet the same fate, for many of the same reasons. All I can do is stand by and watch it happen. :-/

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  14. i want to know how Niniane feels about shutting down Lively.
    And is there no way to keep it?

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  15. HI Niniane

    Livelyzens are coming together to appeal to google to keep Lively alive.

    Please see our website http://livelyzens.com

    We want to spread the word through machinima video and slideshow contests and there are other plans underway.

    Please let the lively team know about our campaign and request all of you to pass on this information to as many people as possible.

    Our google group is at http://groups.google.com/group/livelyzens

    Wish your blog had your email id so that we could get in touch with you. Our email id is livelyzens (at) gmail dot com.

    stay aLively!

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  16. Niniane, Would like to get in touch with you. Could you please email livelyzens or kosmikguru (at) gmail dot com?

    Thanks very much.

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  17. niniane, i will eat dog on thanksgiving in ur honor. lulz.

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  18. Make sure he doesn't program in Perl or PHP :) Fortunately Google's a C++/Python shop.

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