The real WTF is saying my $Scrubee = $_[0] instead of my ($scrubee) = @_; or my $Scrubee = shift;. ;)

bstorer:

Various absurd-sounding math stuff is real

*checks ED is not being messed with*

I should have done that before posting.  My bad. My point about the Bohr pun still stands - it collapses the illusion of seriousness.  I think it would actually be funnier without it because it's too obviously intentional.

bstorer:

to assume that we were making it up just underscores the fact that too many programmers don't have a solid foundation in the sciences on which their work is based.

Too true.  In this case it's my fault for assuming that silly-sounding names imply a concept is a fabrication.  I should know better by now.  Also, I'm saddened that my degree didn't cover rings and hairy ball theorem :(

The strange thing is that my work is largely based on hydrology, which I know extremely little about (but will be forced to learn more as I become more involved in porting hydrological models from Fortran to C#...)

 

Eternal Density:

Too true.  In this case it's my fault for assuming that silly-sounding names imply a concept is a fabrication.  I should know better by now.  Also, I'm saddened that my degree didn't cover rings and hairy ball theorem :(

The strange thing is that my work is largely based on hydrology, which I know extremely little about (but will be forced to learn more as I become more involved in porting hydrological models from Fortran to C#...)

At least you know you're ignorant. That's the first toward unignorance.

Welbog:

At least you know you're ignorant. That's the first toward unignorance.

What part of the deignification process involves dropping words like "step" from your lexicon? 

morbiuswilters:

Welbog:

At least you know you're ignorant. That's the first toward unignorance.

What part of the deignification process involves dropping words like "step" from your lexicon? 

That's not ignorance, that's stupidity.

bstorer:

The hairy ball theorem is quite real.  It states that you cannot create a continuous tangent vector field for a sphere.  You can, however, create one for a torus, which is why Welpog recommends torus-based languages.

The Hairy Ball Theorem states that there is no continuous, nowhere zero, tangent vector field on spheres of even dimension. There is a trivial one for all the other spheres. Thus, I suggest odd-dimensioned programming languages.

beermouse:

bstorer:

The hairy ball theorem is quite real.  It states that you cannot create a continuous tangent vector field for a sphere.  You can, however, create one for a torus, which is why Welpog recommends torus-based languages.

The Hairy Ball Theorem states that there is no continuous, nowhere zero, tangent vector field on spheres of even dimension. There is a trivial one for all the other spheres. Thus, I suggest odd-dimensioned programming languages.

Don't you mean spheres of odd dimensions?  A two-dimensional sphere is a circle, and it's quite easy to construct a continuous nonzero tangent field on one of those.  Or perhaps you mean spheres with even-dimensional surface?

morbiuswilters:

What part of the deignification process involves dropping words like "step" from your lexicon?

I choose to (falsely) claim that I intended to leave out the word in a poor attempt at forcing you to call me on it as a test of your vigilance.

beermouse:

The Hairy Ball Theorem states that there is no continuous, nowhere zero, tangent vector field on spheres of even dimension.

Hang on, that suddenly rings a bell.  I DID read about that many years ago, but I didn't remember the name.  That's the one which shows that it can't be windy everywhere on Earth at the same time.  It's actually quite easy to visualise :D