Slashdot Mirror
Divine Proportions
David Halprin writes with a review of a new (and mighty odd sounding) mathematics book: "In my humble opinion, we have an unjustified polemic in the world of mathematics, yet again. My background is tertiary level mathematics
and concomitant research in specialised areas, so when a friend e-mailed
me the link to this book, I was so excited after reading the author's
hype, that I ordered a pre-publication copy. My expectations have not
been met, unfortunately, hence my analysis precipitated this review." Read on for Halprin's idiosyncractic take on Norman John Wildberger's Divine Proportions: Rational Trigonometry to Universal Geometry.
Divine Proportions - Rational Trigonometry to Universal Geometry
author
Norman John Wildberger
pages
300
publisher
Wild Egg Pty Ltd
rating
2
reviewer
David Halprin
ISBN
summary
Wilberger presents an ultimately disappointing vision of a new descriptive system for geometry.
There are various ways to approach Norman's so-called "Rational Trigonometry" and/or "Universal Geometry." I have examined it from various perspectives and it does not live up to Norman's claims, whichever standpoint, that I have taken.
DEFINITIONS
Slashdotters vetted this before
Apology to Ubuntu forum.
In my humble opinion, we have an unjustified polemic in the world of mathematics, yet again. My background is tertiary level mathematics and concomitant research in specialised areas
Polemic
Tertiary
Concomitant
I believe this is the most pretentiously-worded article blurb that has ever been seen on Slashdot.
This review freakin' sucks.
I have an M.A. in Mathematics. I've read some of the "Rational Trigonometry" online before, and yes, it is pretty oddball and has its weakness and can be criticized.
But this review is borederline psychotic. It is poorly written, full of ad hominem attacks, lots of made-up grammar and word usage, wierd random abbreviations... it's scatterbrained, repetitive, and unnecessarily hostile.
There is a critical review to be written about "Rational Trigonometry", but this isn't it. I may not like our current government, but I'm still not going to listen to some incoherent homeless guy raving about it on the street.
We know where leadership by an anti-intellectual "strongman" who scapegoats minorities and likes boisterous rallies goes
You need the Pretentious Geek/English translator. Here, let me help:
"I have to confess that I look upon his sojourn into Field Theory as a diversion in the same sense that a prestidigitator (magician), in his field of legerdemain (sleight of hand), distracts the audience members, thereby lessening their attention on what's really going on."
"I have to confess that I'm really smart. Smarter than you. In fact, you're pretty damn dumb. So dumb that I have to explain what prestidigitator and legerdemain mean. A prestidigitator does not mean someone who spanks the monkey, and legerdemain does not mean a type of beer. They mean you are dumb."
"Alas and alack, niente, gar nichts, zilch. Woe is me. Es tut mit leid."
"Not only am I very smart, I know more languages than you, proving I am a cultered man of the world. And implying that you are a redneck hick. So suck it, hick, I'm going to go prestidigitate my legerdemain."
Hope that helps get you started. If you want to learn more Pretentious Geek, please first stick a broomstick up your ass and tilt your nose upwards at a 45 degree angle, it helps the learning process.
- None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
I'm usually too lazy to read the article but holy shit I'm not reading the review either.
In my humble opinion, we have an unjustified polemic in the world of mathematics, yet again. My background is tertiary level mathematics and concomitant research
#1 - Humble my ass
#2 - Such excessive sesquipedalianism is an immediate flag that the writer is writing not to inform or help. He's just masturbating his brain in public.
#3 - Humble my ass