leilavc's comments

For anybody looking for solid tips on how to apply this attitude to their academics, I've found Cal Newport's blog* an invaluable resource. It's been linked to here before, mainly for its recent posts on 'deliberate practice' versus 'flow', but he also describes many strategies and tactics that high-scoring students at Ivy League-level universities use. They've helped me invaluably, and I find it a real pity that more students don't know about this writing.

[*] http://calnewport.com/blog/

It's worth noting here that this paper only looks at Kahn's direct descendants through the male line of Genghis Kahn. I believe that the number of people alive who are in any way related Genghis Kahn (through both matrilineal and patrilineal lines) is a lot higher than 1 in 200.

Am I the only person who feels a bit sorry/annoyed every time Eliezer gets harassed about updating HPMOR? It's his project, people, he'll update when he wants to.

But would it be news if three boys had won the science fair? When we get to the day when the fact that 'girls actually can do science!' isn't news - when the name of the headline isn't 'Girls sweep at Google Science Fair' but instead 'Innovative inventions' or something along those lines - then you'd have more of a valid point.

> In China, when the CPC decides to do something, it happens, no matter how many heads roll in the process.

You say that, but China's government is in some ways no better than India's. Take a look at the high profile, recently opened Beijing-Shanghai high speed railway - which has already had several power malfunctions in the last two weeks. [1] The CPC has its own corruption and problems as well - they're just not as obvious as India's.

[1] http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iYyU6_FOL0...

Great - now go and read this (http://terrytao.wordpress.com/career-advice/does-one-have-to...) to cheer yourself up.

Thanks for your response! No, Google today still doesn't ask for your age when you create an account, and I'm actually not personally aware of any US bill that regulates how internet companies have to deal with teenagers. It seems like a bit of a legal gray area.

The thing is, we get that scenario that you gave with the hangouts and circles with Facebook, which teenagers use all the time. And, again, those questions you brought up are part of the legal gray area I mentioned above, of how much control the government and parents should have over how teenagers can use the internet.

I think the main frustration I have here is that I have other friends who never gave their ages to Google - i.e., who never signed up for a Youtube account - who have been able to get onto Google Plus. (I know because they keep sending me invites. It's quite aggravating.) Which just goes to show that Google's rules aren't even being evenly applied across the board.

But hey, fair enough. As I said at the end, I just hope they get out of the field trial stage soon. And for now, I'm off to make a new anonymous Google account. :)