A disservice to the subject

...is apparently what I am (the subject being mathematics). At least, in the opinion of reader of my article Farmer Ted Goes 3D. Apparently, it's articles like mine that make potential math majors quit mathematics and become business majors. At least my article has one reader, and it generated a response from him...

Of course, after reading this letter to the editor about the paper (and also the 2D version from Greg Martin), I feel his arguments are somewhat lacking. His biggest argument seems to be in the choosing of the name almost-square (-cube), saying that objects which answer similar questions to the ones Greg and I discussed are more closer to the name, and that those questions seem to be the better ones to ask. Now, I agree that sometimes the question he/I dealt with isn't the optimal question (how often are you in a situation where you need an area/volume of x, regardless of shape, but can't exceed it?), but how does that invalidate the work? Wouldn't that create opportunities for discussion, and possibly, more mathematical work done by others? That would appear to be more of a service to mathematics than a disservice, wouldn't it?

But what do I know, I'm just a grad student.

Not on Monday

Since I always seem to write my blogs on Monday, I'm being stubborn...and writing it on Sunday night. So, 10 points for style, -5000 points for (Sunday night at 10:30pm isn't particularly ahead of the times).

Worse, I don't really have much to say. Playoff basketball starts on Tuesday with *two* games. Since it's been about two weeks since I've done anything athletic, I'm sure I won't be bothered by playing two different games in the matter of 5 hours.

On a positive note, my website is completey done, modulo a potential picture (which probably won't come until I shave the chin hairs...after it gets warmer than 7 degrees). Now if I can just get my letters of recommendations...

Oh yeah, and God is cool. Grace is cool. Power is cool.

Brainless basketball bureaucracy

Sorry for the alliteration, but I couldn't help myself. I was going to say stupid, but it's much cooler with a B-word up front.

Apparently, for reasons no one seems to know, and despite the fact that there was a graduate student league this year and there's been a graduate student league and tourney for the past umpteen years, there won't be one this year. So, instead of being in a 12-team tourney with a bye, we are now in a 300-gadjillion (is that the correct spelling of gadjillion?) team tourney, and we may or may not have a bye. The whole point is that championship games are played in Assembly Hall, and quite frankly, that would be a dream. So, what are the odds of making it through a 12-team tourney when you're already 3-0 against a random sampling of teams (and in two of those games, we were minus a starter)....and compare those to the odds of making it through a 300-gadjillion team tourney when you're 3-0 against a not-so-random sampling of teams. And I could already imagine myself on the sacred ground that is Assembly Hall...

Weekend of fun...ish

So, I had a very polarized weekend. First, there was the funeral of my Great Aunt Emma. No matter how good those are, it's still tough. How do people without God do it? Knowing she's in heaven is such a huge difference....even through all this morning, you still feel this part of you that just wants to party.

Then I got to spend a day with Dave and Tara, which is always fun. A nice 3-point move to win Cities and Knights helps as well. Puerto Rico is another story...

On a slightly different note, Organic Church is still interesting, although it is digressing somewhat into a diatribe about how normal church can't work. I agree that smaller, home church-like settings have been more meaningful for me, and fundamentally I agree with them a lot more, that doesn't mean that normal churches can't work. I did like one point it made, though. We, as Christians, shouldn't expect to make the coolest movie, the coolest sign out front, or to wow non-Christians by how fun are services are. Effectively, that philosophy would be saying that we should be as worldly as non-Christians. This doesn't mean we don't strive for excellence, or putting out a quality "product," whatever that product is. Rather, we should never forget that the thing that sets us apart, and what will draw in non-Christians, is Jesus. It's Him, and how he makes us not fit in. That's been meaningful for me, as I continue to work in a predominantly non-Christian office. I'm not going to completely fit in....so don't worry about not fitting in. You would think I would know that by now.

Retraction?

So, I haven't really reread my last post, but it's possible it came out pretty harsh against "traditional" churches. I guess lately I've been having a real heavy heart for the American church, and a desire to see it more how God designed it. I've seen a glimmer of the amazing power the Spirit of God gives to those who follow Him, and I want that for all Christians. As a Korean pastor once said of some American churches he visited: "It's amazing what you people can do without the Holy Spirit." God's lesson for us in church today also revolved around this idea. God wants to do powerful things with us, but it's not something we can do on our own. We want to plan things out, say how God will work, or say something like, "I remember how thigs goes," and try to do things ourselves. But we can't do God's work. It's by His grace that anything we do gets accomplished. We want to resist change or new things sometimes (oftentimes), but we must be open to let God do it His way. Let Him write the script, not us.

So, I'm still processing some of the stuff from today, so this probably just confused things more, but tough. Deal with it. :)

Church

As I mentioned before (I think), I'm reading a book called Organic Church, which calls for a remake of how church is done in America. It's an interesting read, especially since I current attend a home church, while my best friend is currently attending seminary to pastor a "standard" church. Anyway, I'm just sorting through some thoughts, so you get to hear my ramblings...

I'm through 3 chapters. First of all, the general attitude I'm getting is that "regular" church, as America understands, *can't* work, which I think is a little bit of an exagerration, although it definitely needs a shot in the arm. That being said, a lot of the indictments towards regular church seem to correspond with my experiences. I liked a line on pg 41 which states, "She has joined the thousands of others who find Sunday church service to be an isolated and lonely experience." This corresponds very well to me, although some of it is my personality. I think one of the big keys to church, in a big or small setting, is to make it personal and interactive. It's real easy, at least for me, to do the "church" thing with very little actual fellowship or personal accountability. You can worship, raise your hands, honestly praise Him, and yet not get a lot out of the service of lasting value. The quote before Chapter 1 is about dreamed God-sized dreams of making the world different--and that's been my experience with smaller house churches. Everyone is involved, you are "forced" to interact and contribute, as it's expected. At my current place, periodically people get called out for not contributing/sharing enough (not always in a personal way, but more like "regular members need to make sure they are sharing"). When that happens, God comes down in tremendous ways. It seems easier to expect big things from God in smaller settings of truly devoted believers than in a group of 150 people, many of whom are only nominally Christian. But, in some sense, I think the current American church doesn't even know they can expect bigger things from God--things you can *only* consider miraculous. What's the best way to show them? I don't know...

One quote from someone in the persecuted church in China (given at the home church I currently attend): As leaders of the underground church, they want the persecution to continue. Because if church because tolerable, you get people who aren't 100%, totally, even-if-it-kills-me committed. You get, in his (the guy from China) words, the American church.

Thoughts?

TV Star

So apparently I'm going to be on RTV6. They say the articles in the paper about the Carmel HS swing club, of which I am the primary teacher, and are wanting to do a segment on them/us. So, hopefully next Friday morning, they are going to come to Carmel and tape a practice of us, maybe do some interviews, who knows. But, I'll probably get on TV at some point. Who wants to be my agent?