Calvin McPhail-Snyder
@sl2.bsky.social
mathematician working at Duke
sl2.site
sl2.site
I am not really active on here at the moment but I wanted to share this regarding my alma mater:
www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2025...
www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2025...
A statement by 40 Jewish faculty and staff on antisemitism and DEI at U.Va.
As scholars and teachers, we know that dissent and debate strengthen our intellectual commitments and moral judgments rather than threaten them. We reject any attempt to deny these basic truths.
www.cavalierdaily.com
July 17, 2025 at 5:21 PM
I am not really active on here at the moment but I wanted to share this regarding my alma mater:
www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2025...
www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2025...
Since we’re just unilaterally declaring things this week, Outlook is joining in and declaring it doesn’t want to send any emails
February 3, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Since we’re just unilaterally declaring things this week, Outlook is joining in and declaring it doesn’t want to send any emails
Every semester someone replies all to the teaching assignment email, but every semester it’s a *different* person
January 16, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Every semester someone replies all to the teaching assignment email, but every semester it’s a *different* person
I know it's a collision of two very different working cultures, but it's really annoying there's no way to automatically tell Dropbox to stop syncing .swp files
January 16, 2025 at 6:04 PM
I know it's a collision of two very different working cultures, but it's really annoying there's no way to automatically tell Dropbox to stop syncing .swp files
Trying something new this semester for teaching: I’m making slides in typst but then writing on them with a drawing tablet while lecturing
January 16, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Trying something new this semester for teaching: I’m making slides in typst but then writing on them with a drawing tablet while lecturing
the Washington Commanders have WON A PLAYOFF GAME
January 13, 2025 at 4:12 AM
the Washington Commanders have WON A PLAYOFF GAME
Born too soon to explore the galaxy, born too late to email Don Knuth
I was excited to email him but I guess that's not an option:
January 7, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Born too soon to explore the galaxy, born too late to email Don Knuth
I was thinking more about Dehn surgery but that's cool too I guess
January 3, 2025 at 11:10 AM
I was thinking more about Dehn surgery but that's cool too I guess
The fundamental issue with stuff like this is that "Greek civilization" isn't really a thing you can precisely measure. Does it count as "decline" if the Roman empire takes over but embraces Greek culture?
I like that the textbook I'm using this semester has historical sections! I do not like that it includes phrases like "After the death of Archimedes in 212 BCE the Greek civilization went into slow decline"
January 2, 2025 at 5:11 PM
The fundamental issue with stuff like this is that "Greek civilization" isn't really a thing you can precisely measure. Does it count as "decline" if the Roman empire takes over but embraces Greek culture?
I like that the textbook I'm using this semester has historical sections! I do not like that it includes phrases like "After the death of Archimedes in 212 BCE the Greek civilization went into slow decline"
January 2, 2025 at 5:08 PM
I like that the textbook I'm using this semester has historical sections! I do not like that it includes phrases like "After the death of Archimedes in 212 BCE the Greek civilization went into slow decline"
I think it’s more about relative emphasis. The traditional approach to teaching math is a bit like drilling jump shots without ever showing anyone a real game of basketball.
What's weird is nobody in athletics seems to do this? Nobody says "the key to be great at basketball isn't practice! It's seeing the magic of basketball!"
For that matter my impression from art school was we don't do this either. There is an emphasis on the value of doing the same thing many times.
For that matter my impression from art school was we don't do this either. There is an emphasis on the value of doing the same thing many times.
December 24, 2024 at 4:25 PM
I think it’s more about relative emphasis. The traditional approach to teaching math is a bit like drilling jump shots without ever showing anyone a real game of basketball.
Reposted by Calvin McPhail-Snyder
...a more fair comparison is how ChatGPT performs compared to a typical math undergrad who has access to Mathematica and Google while writing the Putnam. And I think that the answer to that question is "eh, about the same".
Thread/rant over.
Thread/rant over.
December 20, 2024 at 3:01 AM
...a more fair comparison is how ChatGPT performs compared to a typical math undergrad who has access to Mathematica and Google while writing the Putnam. And I think that the answer to that question is "eh, about the same".
Thread/rant over.
Thread/rant over.
I know this is not @kameryn.bsky.social's main point but I think the asset reuse actually makes Majora's Mask better! It really helps sell the parallel/fairy world setting.
one of many awful gamer™ opinions is complaining about asset reuse. it's hella expensive + time-consuming to make video games. asset reuse is an easy way to lower development costs without sacrificing quality. stop being babies. anyway, one of the best video games was an asset reuse
December 13, 2024 at 8:05 PM
I know this is not @kameryn.bsky.social's main point but I think the asset reuse actually makes Majora's Mask better! It really helps sell the parallel/fairy world setting.
I proved a theorem this morning!
Unfortunately what I was supposed to be doing was grading final exams.
Unfortunately what I was supposed to be doing was grading final exams.
December 13, 2024 at 7:47 PM
I proved a theorem this morning!
Unfortunately what I was supposed to be doing was grading final exams.
Unfortunately what I was supposed to be doing was grading final exams.
In their defense the paper I was reading DOES prove this elementary fact, they just cited the lemma in a confusing way and credited the idea to the 1889 paper
Trying to find a reference for an elementary fact about character varieties has lead me to a paper written in 1889 in French 😐
December 13, 2024 at 2:32 PM
In their defense the paper I was reading DOES prove this elementary fact, they just cited the lemma in a confusing way and credited the idea to the 1889 paper
Trying to find a reference for an elementary fact about character varieties has lead me to a paper written in 1889 in French 😐
December 12, 2024 at 4:12 PM
Trying to find a reference for an elementary fact about character varieties has lead me to a paper written in 1889 in French 😐
The social media network formerly known as Twitter keeps sending me fake notifications to lure me back. I opened one and it was a (QT of) a bluecheck going on about how spending money on science is Woke (derogatory)
December 9, 2024 at 12:51 PM
The social media network formerly known as Twitter keeps sending me fake notifications to lure me back. I opened one and it was a (QT of) a bluecheck going on about how spending money on science is Woke (derogatory)
Uh-oh: neither I nor vim know how to spell “symplectic”
December 4, 2024 at 2:37 PM
Uh-oh: neither I nor vim know how to spell “symplectic”
shout out to the person sending spam with a (legitimate?) UC Berkeley student address who picked "benspam190" as their username
November 26, 2024 at 7:51 PM
shout out to the person sending spam with a (legitimate?) UC Berkeley student address who picked "benspam190" as their username
Reposted by Calvin McPhail-Snyder
Hey, remember MOOCs? Remember "the year of the MOOC?" Remember how UVA's board tried to fire the president because she wasn't sufficiently hyped about MOOCs? Remember how Sebastian Thrun (Udacity) said there would eventually be only 10 higher-ed outlets bc of MOOCs?
Just thought I'd ask.
Just thought I'd ask.
"LLMs must become a core part of the educational experience.... This imperative grows with each new development in text, image, and voice generation — even the potential for AI-driven lessons delivered by simulated celebrities." Uurrgghh. (And what about environmental damage of this proposal?)
The continued success of universities hinges on the response to the generative AI reckoning | Wonkhe
The essay assessment is only the most obvious casualty of generative AI. Janice Kay, Chris Husbands and Jason Tangen explain why AI should prompt a total overhaul of education strategies
wonkhe.com
March 11, 2024 at 10:30 AM
Hey, remember MOOCs? Remember "the year of the MOOC?" Remember how UVA's board tried to fire the president because she wasn't sufficiently hyped about MOOCs? Remember how Sebastian Thrun (Udacity) said there would eventually be only 10 higher-ed outlets bc of MOOCs?
Just thought I'd ask.
Just thought I'd ask.
@alanza.bsky.social at your suggestion I used Hugo when re-writing my Jekyll website that got trapped in dependency hell. It was much easier! And it helped that the source for your site was on GitHub
March 10, 2024 at 9:12 PM
@alanza.bsky.social at your suggestion I used Hugo when re-writing my Jekyll website that got trapped in dependency hell. It was much easier! And it helped that the source for your site was on GitHub
Reposted by Calvin McPhail-Snyder
❌ I’m in a slough of despond
✅ I’m in a freshwater marsh of sadness
✅ I’m in a freshwater marsh of sadness
February 9, 2024 at 8:00 PM
❌ I’m in a slough of despond
✅ I’m in a freshwater marsh of sadness
✅ I’m in a freshwater marsh of sadness
Today an editorial in my undergrad campus paper referred to a now-closed business that opened after I graduated as a “long-time establishment”
November 30, 2023 at 5:53 PM
Today an editorial in my undergrad campus paper referred to a now-closed business that opened after I graduated as a “long-time establishment”
It is 2023 and the best way to install LaTeX is STILL “download literally every package into an impenetrable directory tree”
October 25, 2023 at 2:49 PM
It is 2023 and the best way to install LaTeX is STILL “download literally every package into an impenetrable directory tree”