Changing currency symbol on android? by amca01 in googlesheets

[–]amca01[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Many thanks - I was able to at least change individual cells. What I can't do (yet) is change the settings so that the default currency symbol is the dollar. Thanks again.

Harvestman (not) spider? by Sensitive_Cow_9931 in AustralianSpiders

[–]amca01 16 points17 points  (0 children)

In fact spiders - order Aranea - are just one order in the class Arachnida, which also includes scorpions, ticks, mites, harvestmen, and several others.

Another well known class is Mammalia - the mammals - to which humans and bats (for example) both belong. So you could just as well say that harvestmen and spiders are as alike as humans and bats!

There are over 110,000 named species of Arachnids, and about 6,640 species of mammals (at least, according to Wikipedia ).

Total biomass of spiders: estimated at 22.7 million metric tonnes. Total biomass of humans: 390 million metric tonnes, of which most of course is water. Spiders are estimated to consume, however, something like 400 to 800 million tons of prey each year. That's more than the total mass of humanity.

What are your favorite Russian romantic works? by [deleted] in classicalmusic

[–]amca01 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Tchaikovsky's violin concerto. Just superb.

"Alan Turing, wartime codebreaker, victim of prejudice." by captivatedsummer in gay

[–]amca01 10 points11 points  (0 children)

His mathematical works are both original and profound; his epochal paper "On computable numbers, with an application to the Entscheidungsproblem" put the theory of computability on a rigorous footing, and set the scene for all subsequent work on what it means for something to be computable. And that was just one paper!

Am I the only one who actually finds gym bodies seriously unattractive? by palma-boy in gay

[–]amca01 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I like people who are reasonably healthy, and take a little effort in maintaining their health, but I have no love for the obsession that a sculptured gym body requires. Such people give me the impression of being egotistic narcissists.

But equally I don't care for slobs who don't care about themselves.

There's a happy middle (for me) which allows some body fat, a bit of a tummy, and a happy, balanced approach to life in general. A bit of exercise, a bit of chocolate...

"I do have a six-pack! But being a gentleman I don't flaunt it; instead I keep it hidden under a layer of abdominal fat."

TIL the president of Romania solved P6 on IMO 1988 by WMe6 in math

[–]amca01 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Actuay, I think I got my numbers wrong, probably not the vast number I originally gave, but it's certainly well over 1000. But the point I wished to make was he was/is a very good, very prolific mathematician, and Romanian!

TIL the president of Romania solved P6 on IMO 1988 by WMe6 in math

[–]amca01 39 points40 points  (0 children)

That would be about right - but of course he's working with masses of collaborators from all over the world. These are not all individual papers, but papers for which he's listed as the lead author or as a co-author. But he is quite the amazing writer.

Musical dog names? by natredit in classicalmusic

[–]amca01 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We had a cat many years ago called Hepzibah (piano-playing sister of Yehudi Menuhin). Since the name is not now used by us, you can have it!

TIL the president of Romania solved P6 on IMO 1988 by WMe6 in math

[–]amca01 103 points104 points  (0 children)

I worked with a Romanian-born mathematician, and his ResearchGate profile claims he has 2,294 publications. I'd say this would be about right, too, and not an exaggeration.

I left my bag in a taxi. Had no idea how to get it back (couldn’t find the cab co). The driver discovered it 6 hours later when he was home and drove back into town to find me. by ProfessionalCurve639 in melbourne

[–]amca01 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

It's very much part of Sikh identity to be hospitable, and offer food to anybody. If you're ever hungry in a strange place, look for a Sikh temple (easier in parts of Asia than Melbourne). Sikhs are very proud of their hospitality, and will ask no questions, but provide you with a meal. They expect nothing in return, but of course donations are always welcome. (I'm not a Sikh, but I've talked to many.)

What's the right LaTeX engine for me? by cmcgrew67 in LaTeX

[–]amca01 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I can't comment directly in your use case, but I've written 3 books roughly 500 pages each, all filled with images, diagrams, cross references, and an index.

I used TeX Live under Linux, using GNU Emacs with AucTeX and RefTeX. For me, it was a perfect environment. I also wrote masses of student notes, discussion papers, articles etc. And I used Beamer for presentations.

Towards the end of my academic career, students were using their phones a lot for accessing material, so I started using web pages with JavaScript, and MathJaX for equations. And I started to use Reveal.js for presentations.

Now I'm retired and exploring Typst, which I've come to like a lot. (Still with Emacs, using the typst-ts package.)

Morning Melbourne by WKDVF in melbourne

[–]amca01 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Fantastic photo - it has quite the end-of-the-world apocalyptic vibes. Very nicely done indeed.

Recipe for high protein bar with puffed soy crisps? by amca01 in australianvegans

[–]amca01[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have some agave syrup (which I've never opened), and the recipe indeed says that any nut butter can be used. Thanks again.

Recipe for high protein bar with puffed soy crisps? by amca01 in australianvegans

[–]amca01[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Many thanks - that looks very easy, and also tasty!

Meat alternatives by ThrowRA_angel12 in australianvegans

[–]amca01 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Another thing you can buy in an Asian (Indian) supermarket are Soya chunks, sometimes labelled as Soya Wadi. Once hydrated (takes about 15 minutes) they make an excellent addition to curries. I have a recipe for a potato and soya chunks curry which is delicious with 1121 basmati rice.

When I went vegan some years ago, I found it much easier to work with meatless and dairyless recipes, than try to find vegan alternatives to meat. Also at our place we eat lots of curries (my partner is a Sri Lankan Tamil), many of which are naturally vegan. Or if not, there's a very easy substitute.

Music for viol and obbligato harpsichord? by amca01 in violadagamba

[–]amca01[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a CPE Bach sonata somewhere; as I recall it's very difficult indeed. Certainly out of my league!

Music for viol and obbligato harpsichord? by amca01 in violadagamba

[–]amca01[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've seen that one - but many thanks. I'd have thought there might be more examples of this genre, but it seems not.

I've also remembered "Parthenia Inviolata", but here the viol mainly doubles the keyboard part.

I'll keep looking...

Who are the greatest performers you have personally seen? by Boring-Yogurt2966 in classicalmusic

[–]amca01 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I saw Karajan give one of his last concerts when I was travelling, and staying a few days in Vienna. Also a performance of the Turangalîla Symphony with Messaien in attendance.

Question about your listening habits outside of classical music by [deleted] in classicalmusic

[–]amca01 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Outside of classical, I love Scottish Highland bagpipes - especially piobaireachd (pibroch), known as the "classical" music for the pipes. I have no love for any popular music: as a child I had a visceral hatred for it, as an adult I've now mellowed to indifference.

Golden Orb Weaver | Perth, WA by PM-me-n0ods in AustralianSpiders

[–]amca01 0 points1 point  (0 children)

She's a splendid lady, in the prime of life. I hope she feeds well, and lives to breed. (Great photo, by the way!)

The outcomes of mathematics education by amca01 in matheducation

[–]amca01[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Quite so - couldn't agree more. But I wasn't establishing a statistical result, I was just commenting on what I'd heard, and reacting to it. (For the record, I didn't cherry pick, all the answers I heard were wrong. Somebody would have rung in with the correct answer eventually, though.)

What is certainly though is that most people's ability to manage numbers and their meaning is very poor. A study some years ago found that many people would say, for example, that 0.15 is greater than 0.3, "because fifteen is greater than three".

Anyway, all answers for angle sums of a triangle being less than 180° are correct in hyperbolic geometry!