RIP Vanadium 50

[Borek]

Are you sure he's gone?

We are. We were able to confirm his real name and obituaries are all over the net. He wasn't highly valued and respected just on the PF.

 

[pinball1970]

We are. We were able to confirm his real name and obituaries are all over the net. He wasn't highly valued and respected just on the PF.

Ok thanks.

 

[sbrothy]

I guess this thread has nearly run it's course. Just stumbled over this example where I think our man's sarcasm got the better of him. He must have had a bad day (I mean who haven't?), or possibly something was going on under the radar. :)

 

[martinbn]

I guess this thread has nearly run it's course. Just stumbled over this example where I think our man's sarcasm got the better of him. He must have had a bad day (I mean who haven't?), or possibly something was going on under the radar. :)

I don't understand! His reply is spot on.

 

[sbrothy]

I don't understand! His reply is spot on.

Well, the OP explicitly says he's gonna work through the exercises doesn't he? Did I misread it?

EDIT: Ah well, 20%. Maybe that's what set him off! :P

EDIT2: Don't misunderstand. I'm not trying to tarnish his reputation. Just pointing out that we all sometimes take it a little too far (with a gleam in my eye). I couldn't have held a candle to him. *Prostrates myself*.

 

[Point Conception]

We are. We were able to confirm his real name and obituaries are all over the net. He wasn't highly valued and respected just on the PF.

Ok if it's all over the net and public information can you give a link ?

 

[Borek]

Ok if it's all over the net and public information can you give a link ?

That's the thing - that would mean killing his anonymity at PF.

 

[fresh_42]

Ok if it's all over the net and public information can you give a link ?

The link between Vanadium 50 to the real person behind that username is not public!

And we only have a high probability, not exactly proof, since nobody knew about the connection or the real person privately.

 

[pinball1970]

Yeah he was V50 for a reason.

Now he has gone I have been going through a few threads and interactions.
The "one liner" thread went very quiet when he left, that's says a lot.

 

[BillTre]

The "one liner" thread went very quiet when he left, that's says a lot.

Time to step up your game Pinball!

 

[DeBangis21]

Omg! I felt sorry for him. Hearing this made me remember my own mortal day.

Many atimes, I can't decipher his witty comments/replies in the forum, including one comments on my post.

 

[Florian Geyer]

I feel sorry for him, and I accept this as an unavoidable part of life we all must face.
Although he was very tough on me, I learned an awful lot from him—whether from his replies to my threads or simply by reading his contributions to this forum, whose topics I have followed for the past two years.

I always remember him whenever I feel challenged in my studies, precisely because he would often say that I could not do this or that. In my heart, I always accepted those words as challenges.
Rest in peace.

 

[PhDeezNutz]

These are middle schoolers. They are still working on division and fractions.

"AI is the future" is meaningless twaddle. Pouring that into kids heads is educational malpractice. If they want to develop an actual curriculum, fine, but this looks like a session of Buzzword Bingo.

God that guy was funny!

I’m gonna be honest. I’m still scared of him even after his passing. But as said before RIP.

Thread 'How to explain AI to middle schoolers?'

Sep 26, 2024

Hi, I'm a middle school scince teacher
And would like to give a class about AI.
I have little experience with the subject so I would like to know how to make the concept clear for a middle schooler.
Also, I don't want to just include generative AI text and pictures but rather actually explain to them how AI works on a fundamental level.

• sairoof
• Artificial intelligence Education middle school
• Replies: 28
• Forum: STEM Educators and Teaching

 

[weirdoguy]

I'll be in the minority but I didn't like his comments in the couple of last years. Although I liked them more way back, when I started using PF. In my opinion he started to be overly passive-aggresive, and I've noticed that some people turn that way with age. And it's a no-go for me, no one is talking that way to me, no matter the status.

But anyways, rest in peace. It feels kind of empty without him.

 

[pinball1970]

It feels kind of empty without him.

So you'd rather he was posting or watching like a sentinel right? Me too. Why?

If you posted something stupid, you're toast, that's a given.

I posted an article and I got an alert, it's Vanadium. Damn.
I've obviously done something wrong he replied too fast so...

Did I just post just the article? He will not like that, reliable source etc

No the paper link is there.

The paper is on Bealls? Oh lord, I'll never be able to shower with other technologists again.

No, it's reputable.

What then? What did I do?

He said "why is it interesting?"

In my heart of hearts, I think he may have been suggesting that"You have no clue what you have posted really do you?"

He wanted the signal to noise ratio as tight as possible. A perfectionist.

Just my take.

Hey he had an ego we can agree on that, and we are all still talking about him, debating him a little and mourning him.
He did ok.

 

[sbrothy]

Yeah, I recognize the feeling if he answered your post with an ironic tone you almost went into an anxiety attack trying to find out what you did wrong.

But as someone else (and I also allured to) lately he might have grown a little negative. Speculation is pointless of course. I didn't know the man so well. But as with my mum's palliative cancer treatment there could be a ton of reasons. As he seems to be gone it might have been truly bad.

I hope he found peace.

Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night

 

[marcusl]

I miss his candor. How many times have we seen a post along the lines of "I'm a physics major at a lower ranked state college with a 2.4 GPA in my major. I have problems with [mental health/laziness/bad study habits/lack of motivation/addiction to video games] but I am set on doing my PhD in theoretical physics at [Harvard/MIT/Caltech/insert top school of your choice]. I plan to ace the PGRE. This summer I will read all 10 volumes of Landau and Lifshitz, but I want to go above and beyond. Which books do you recommend for [insert the most sophisticated and difficult sub-fields of physics here]? What do you think my chances are?" Following a number of encouraging responses from PF members with book suggestions, Vanadium 50 would offer a stiff dose of reality to save the OP from being crushed when his unrealistic plans fail to materialize.

I do miss him. He never got to build that backyard radio telescope.

 

[DaveE]

My personal favorite. Probably not meaningful if you didn't go to MIT or Caltech...

Post in thread 'Complementary resources to Feynman Lectures'

Jun 30, 2024

That's also what the Caltech physics department thought

Just because that''s what Caltech thinks doesn't make it wrong.

• Vanadium 50

• 

 

[sbrothy]

Heh. At least here his emoticons made it clear he was being tongue-in-cheek.

 

[MidgetDwarf]

I wonder if Ms Vanadium also received her fair share of sass lol. I would have snipped him!!

I liked seeing his replies. Reminded me of a drill seargent or an old gunslinger (my grandfather was one). Always got a chuckle.

He was well informed, even at his old age. Something to strive for.

 

[DaveE]

I just recalled this snippet from him this morning, which I think is firmly within the PF zeitgeist.

Admissions Post in thread 'How can I get admitted into CalTech?'

Mar 1, 2024

We had a cheer when the other school's football team scored:

That's all right
That's okay
You'll all work
For us someday!

Anyway....enough fun.

My point was that Caltech, being a small school, has departments that cover more ground that at larger schools (r.g. math, astronomy and physics together) and in addition they have, like many places, a number of programs/centers/institutes not necessarily associated with a single department. The organization makes it difficult to count noses working on any given topic, like biophysics.

But the exact number doesn't matter. A mean of 1, 1.5 or 2...

• Vanadium 50

•