Thursday, August 19, 2010
JSH: More about using Usenet
Usenet is a great tool for you to be international. If you're NOT part of the math establishment, with papers published in mainstream journals, and a lot of connections to the mathematicians that matter, then Usenet may be the ONLY really viable means for you to push your ideas to the world.
But it is competitive. Have some common sense. You're not the first person to see value in Usenet! And you can see posters who've been using it for DECADES, but where are they really now? Do you think some person who has been working at Usenet, digging for gold as it were, for DECADES is really here to help YOU?
Check posting histories. The longer that string of posts, the less likely you're dealing with a happy camper. That guy—it's usually a guy—has been dreaming for a long time, and his dreams have probably not been realized. I should know! I have a long history myself! I'm still mostly frustrated in my efforts, but then again, I'm not replying to other people's ideas pretending I want to help them.
Surface reality on Usenet can be VERY distracting. One or two posters who reply to you day and night can seem very big, like really hairy scary monsters that will not let go! And they won't! If you reply to them they will reply to you!!!
But it's not the replies that matter—it's the readers.
I have nincompoops who will reply to me now, who have nothing, who have done nothing, who will tell me I have nothing and that I have done nothing, oh, while they rip on Google saying search results mean nothing! Why? Because I'm #1 in the freaking world on some of those search results. So they'll tell you that being #1 in the world means nothing.
They are not here to help you. If you think posters are here to help you deliberately, then you are playing in the wrong zone.
They are your competition. If people are posting they are trying to get attention. The more attention YOU get, the less satisfied they feel about their own.
No one posts on Usenet to be ignored.
EVERYBODY who posts is trying to get attention. In that sense EVERY POSTER is a troll.
But substance does matter. I have #1 for the definition of mathematical proof I say because it's a goddamn good definition!!!
I have binary quadratic Diophantine equations because my equations generally reduce ALL binary quadratic Diophantine equations!!!
You have to have substance, but if you're worth anything you WANT YOUR MATH TO BE RIGHT so that's the easy part.
But never trust that people can't lie about mathematics!!! People can lie about anything.
So yes. You will have posters who will calmly tell you your math is wrong, especially if it's actually right!!! If they can't get away with saying it's not right—like you can demonstrate it with numbers— they will tell you it's "not important". Or "not of interest".
Those are code phrases for—curse you, you bastard I will not help you!!!
The most important role I can play now on Usenet is to note that those seemingly scary monsters who will stalk you in posts ultimately can't prevent the world from noticing if you have something. These people still stalk MY posts, but now they have to rant against Google. And they do.
Because they do not matter. It is the hardest lesson for you to learn: the angry idiots as I sometimes call them, DO NOT MATTER.
They will tell you day and night they DO. They will tell you day and night no one will listen to you. They will tell you day and night that no one in the world cares what you say.
And you can read all of that in my threads over a decades worth.
Check those posting histories!!! These people leave a trail a mile long. When some person you don't really know starts critiquing your math, see their history.
Because it's YOUR math. The hatred flows most against you when you're right! Like it did for me, with my math.
I can't emphasize enough that you should not trust your competitors. Mathematics is a singular discipline. You hear about Gauss, right? Not Gauss and his buddies. It's about Euler, right? Not Euler and the crew.
The name Archimedes has moved through time for over two thousand years, but you don't hear about Archimedes and his best friend.
If you get nothing else, get that: mathematics is not a group activity. Not at the highest levels. You will rise alone, and the posters around you want to rise above you, not lift you.
History notes: Sir Isaac Newton. NOT Sir Isaac and the gang of really rocking dudes.
You will rise alone if you rise. And it will be your name alone.
But it is competitive. Have some common sense. You're not the first person to see value in Usenet! And you can see posters who've been using it for DECADES, but where are they really now? Do you think some person who has been working at Usenet, digging for gold as it were, for DECADES is really here to help YOU?
Check posting histories. The longer that string of posts, the less likely you're dealing with a happy camper. That guy—it's usually a guy—has been dreaming for a long time, and his dreams have probably not been realized. I should know! I have a long history myself! I'm still mostly frustrated in my efforts, but then again, I'm not replying to other people's ideas pretending I want to help them.
Surface reality on Usenet can be VERY distracting. One or two posters who reply to you day and night can seem very big, like really hairy scary monsters that will not let go! And they won't! If you reply to them they will reply to you!!!
But it's not the replies that matter—it's the readers.
I have nincompoops who will reply to me now, who have nothing, who have done nothing, who will tell me I have nothing and that I have done nothing, oh, while they rip on Google saying search results mean nothing! Why? Because I'm #1 in the freaking world on some of those search results. So they'll tell you that being #1 in the world means nothing.
They are not here to help you. If you think posters are here to help you deliberately, then you are playing in the wrong zone.
They are your competition. If people are posting they are trying to get attention. The more attention YOU get, the less satisfied they feel about their own.
No one posts on Usenet to be ignored.
EVERYBODY who posts is trying to get attention. In that sense EVERY POSTER is a troll.
But substance does matter. I have #1 for the definition of mathematical proof I say because it's a goddamn good definition!!!
I have binary quadratic Diophantine equations because my equations generally reduce ALL binary quadratic Diophantine equations!!!
You have to have substance, but if you're worth anything you WANT YOUR MATH TO BE RIGHT so that's the easy part.
But never trust that people can't lie about mathematics!!! People can lie about anything.
So yes. You will have posters who will calmly tell you your math is wrong, especially if it's actually right!!! If they can't get away with saying it's not right—like you can demonstrate it with numbers— they will tell you it's "not important". Or "not of interest".
Those are code phrases for—curse you, you bastard I will not help you!!!
The most important role I can play now on Usenet is to note that those seemingly scary monsters who will stalk you in posts ultimately can't prevent the world from noticing if you have something. These people still stalk MY posts, but now they have to rant against Google. And they do.
Because they do not matter. It is the hardest lesson for you to learn: the angry idiots as I sometimes call them, DO NOT MATTER.
They will tell you day and night they DO. They will tell you day and night no one will listen to you. They will tell you day and night that no one in the world cares what you say.
And you can read all of that in my threads over a decades worth.
Check those posting histories!!! These people leave a trail a mile long. When some person you don't really know starts critiquing your math, see their history.
Because it's YOUR math. The hatred flows most against you when you're right! Like it did for me, with my math.
I can't emphasize enough that you should not trust your competitors. Mathematics is a singular discipline. You hear about Gauss, right? Not Gauss and his buddies. It's about Euler, right? Not Euler and the crew.
The name Archimedes has moved through time for over two thousand years, but you don't hear about Archimedes and his best friend.
If you get nothing else, get that: mathematics is not a group activity. Not at the highest levels. You will rise alone, and the posters around you want to rise above you, not lift you.
History notes: Sir Isaac Newton. NOT Sir Isaac and the gang of really rocking dudes.
You will rise alone if you rise. And it will be your name alone.
# posted by James Harris @ 23:07 
