Work? Surely you jest!

Well, I've been getting progressively more and more excited about work over the last few weeks - It all began sometime 2 weeks ago, when I started reading Dixmier's book on continuous fields of C* algebras. Something about the cohesiveness of that theory excited me - especially the facts about the ideal structure being recoverable from the fibers. Reading Nilsen's paper seemed to fix those ideas, and then getting to Dadarlat's paper was just like seeing daylight again! So beautiful, this idea of asymptotic morphisms, and the way they tie up with continuous fields!

Anyway, I could wax eloquent about this for hours - but the point is that I find myself actually doing some minimal "research" for the first time. I am reading papers and books interchangeably, and wondering about the grander perspective so that I don't get lost in the trees and miss the forest.

Trouble is, and this just might be me torturing myself for no rhyme or reason, I find it hard to communicate this to others. Maybe I am not trying hard enough, but it seems like everytime I start talking about this people shut off and go all bleary-eyed on me. This, of course, led me to consider the value of such communication - it seems like one of the most important aspects of research : to be able to exchange ideas freely and to get excited about what other people are working on. Maybe I am an idealist, but I feel like I should put more effort into this.

Add to this: the rather disturbing conversation I had with my advisor today - about misdealings and dishonesty in the profession. He's a nice guy, and the events we discussed obviously left him feeling very annoyed and offended, and I could totally see it from his point of view. So the question is: at what point do you stop this idealistic free exchange of thoughts, and begin to work towards publishing your own papers without running the risk of someone stealing your ideas?!

I am in two minds about this, and it will require some careful thought - but in the meantime - onwards with semi-projectivity! :)

Vagabond

Discovered a new Manga this week - called Vagabond - written by a gentleman named Takehiko Inoue, and I must say, I am really enjoying it! It tells the tale of a self-obsessed Ronin, who spends half his life fretting about the fact that he is not the world's greatest Samurai, and the other (concurrent) half challenging the greatest Samurai to duels. He goes from being a total wuss to being something of a deified legend - and meets some really cool people along the way.

The nicest part about this is the art work - Inoue sets a rapid pace for the book, but contrastingly, likes to pause every once in a while and reflect on what has just happened. For instance, this page is preceded by a long and tough battle between our hero and some soldiers from the Imperial Army who are out to kill him. He has just spent the last 15-odd pages massacring them - an impaled neck here, gouged eyeball there - the usual excitement - but now the author takes this page to pause. The middle panel is that of a mercenary who was killed when a rock was hurled on his head, and that is framed by the moon on either side - it obviously is meant to have many interpretations - but there is a certain serenity and a foreboding about this page that has me all a-twitter!

Real nice comic - I've just started so I hope it stays this way.

The Omniscient One

God : I think I'll get rid of Norway.
Satan : Why, O Gracious One?
God : Never did like the fjords. What the fuck is a fjord anyway? I gave that one to Slartibartfast, and look what he did. Amateurs!
Satan : Hey! I like those little things! You can't get rid of dem phyordz! (Aside: Hey Azazel, what's a phyordz?)
Azazel : It's a prehistoric turd, boss.
Satan (to God): Hey! I like toids! I fuckin' protest!
God : Ok, that's it. I'm done with you (Kicks him into hell). I decree that you will now be known as the Fallen Angel!

(Now really mad, Satan rises rubbing a bruised rump, while Azazel is laughing heartily and kicking around a piece of meat).
Satan : Hey Azazel, what's the bald piece of flesh you're playing with?
Azazel : It's one of His rejects, boss. He calls it a homo-erectus! (chuckles).
Satan (rubbing his chin) : Reject, huh? Well, no longer! Let's mess with Him - throw that critter in Africa and give it hair only on its head and its crotch! This'll be fun. Oh, and just for fun, teach it to play with rocks like you do, will ya? Maybe one day it'll throw rocks at Him!

(This was the not-so-coherent thought that popped into my head while reading this)