Help! I can't think about this thing and I need to in order to do homework!
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So I'm currently taking a class, Managerial Finance. Whatever.
But every time I try reading the textbook, participating in discussions, or doing homework, I find my mind almost literally shutting down.Tonight, I tried the "do stuff for fifteen minutes, then take a five minute break" method to try reading one of the three chapters assigned this week (It's about stocks and dividends, or something), and I was able to technically read about three pages over the course of two hours.
Last week, I spent nine hours doing homework assignments that I reasonably estimated should have taken a maximum of two hours tops (literally, a spreadsheet of simple math problems involving division and addition. Basic algebra!). And I didn't actually finish! One of the two assignments was to write a short essay (1k words) about some stock information you can find online. I managed to eke out just under 100, and it amounted to me essentially stating the figures and that was it.
Based on feedback on IRC, I'm apparently bored?
I've never had this happen this badly though. Certainly, if passively listening to a lecture and that's it I don't receive sufficient interaction and fall idle, but this hasn't happened with something I'm actively attempting to interact on.
It took me 15 minutes to copy a number from a webpage into the Excel spreadsheet I was working on. Literally, to move the mouse, select text, Ctrl-C, Alt-Tab, Ctrl-V, it took a quarter of an hour!
Is there something wrong with me? Should I be concerned that grade-school level math is kicking my butt?
I'm going to attempt the mid-term on saturday, but that has a hard-limit of two hours before automatic kick-out, and I can't afford to be found staring dumbly at the screen for two hours on one question...I was going to initialize the submission document for this week's homework tonight (which consists of writing the numbered questions and allocating space for the answers), but this failed due to timeout (Document instance not created after 50 minutes).
Thoughts?
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[nodebb devs] . . . . . . . . . . [you] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [discourse devs]
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@Tsaukpaetra said:
@ben_lubar said:
you
I can't grok this.
You're closer to instantaneous completion than to instantaneous declaring the problem a non-problem and re-painting the bikeshed.
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@ben_lubar said:
You're closer to instantaneous completion than to instantaneous declaring the problem a non-problem and re-painting the bikeshed.
I'm sorry, it appears there has been a critical failure in higher-level tier2, tier3, and tier4 cognitive functions. Your inquiry has been noted and will be responded to as soon as services are in working order, in the order it was received.
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@Tsaukpaetra nothing unusual. This is about how my brain rebels as well when I try to make it learn something it doesn't care about.
My solution: just do the things you like and suck at everything else.
Glad I could be of help.
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@Tsaukpaetra Find someone to talk with you about the topics in the course. Ask a lot of "what if" questions and discuss among yourselves. In the process of searching your mind for related information, the information nodes in your brain will form more linkage against other nodes. The probability of forgetting it will be smaller, and it'd increase your speed in accessing the information when accessing related topics, and that will improve your ability to actually use these things you learnt.
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@cheong said:
Find someone to talk with you about the topics in the course.
This is one of the reasons I didn't want to take this course online, interaction is primarily had on "discussion topics" and those have been.... less than helpful.
@cartman82 said:
nothing unusual
I'm glad my personal aberrations aren't actually uncommon. (wow that was a lot of double-negatives)
@cheong said:
In the process of searching your mind for related information, the information nodes in your brain will form more linkage against other nodes.
Maybe. Perhaps I'm working these things backwards. The default word-problem interpreter takes only numeric values and their labels to find formulas that match the requested output (or can be evaluated to become the requested output). This normally works, except in these problems I'm expected to generate insight on the results (and not just calculate it).
I don't typically use the intuition engine because it doesn't give very accurate (or precise) results, but perhaps it's a start at least? Will try.
@cheong said:
your ability to actually use these things you learnt.
Agreed, though it seems I have a basic aversion to matters of finance.
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@Tsaukpaetra said in Help! I can't think about this thing and I need to in order to do homework!:
So I'm currently taking a class, Managerial Finance. Whatever.
But every time I try reading the textbook, participating in discussions, or doing homework, I find my mind almost literally shutting down.That happened to me in college during the mandatory Accounting subject. In the exam, I sat for an hour drawing a picture of a truck on the back page of the answer book, then left.
I think there's an invisible force field around topics that have anything to do with The Moneys, and the only time a gap opens is when one of the lizards inside dies and needs to be replaced.
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@flabdablet said in Help! I can't think about this thing and I need to in order to do homework!:
I think there's an invisible force field around topics that have anything to do with The Moneys, and the only time a gap opens is when one of the lizards inside dies and needs to be replaced.
Money is bad, m'kay. It sucks your soul out and makes you die a little inside every time you have a contact with it, m'kay. That's why when we die, we are this broken she'll of a man -- the more broken the wealthier we die, m'kay.
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@Tsaukpaetra said in Help! I can't think about this thing and I need to in order to do homework!:
It took me 15 minutes to copy a number from a webpage into the Excel spreadsheet I was working on. Literally, to move the mouse, select text, Ctrl-C, Alt-Tab, Ctrl-V, it took a quarter of an hour!
We all did that when we were 10 but. We were 10.
I do question how you managed to pass high school without the ability to fluff 100 words of information into 1,000 words of essay. That's basically all high school is.
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@cartman82 said in Help! I can't think about this thing and I need to in order to do homework!:
My solution: just do the things you like and suck at everything else.
The problem is that doesn't work if you're like me and you suck at everything. Except kind of not one thing, but you hate doing that one thing. Not a recipe for happiness.
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@blakeyrat said in Help! I can't think about this thing and I need to in order to do homework!:
The problem is that doesn't work if you're like me and you suck at everything. Except kind of not one thing, but you hate doing that one thing. Not a recipe for happiness.
I find it hard to imagine how you can hate doing something you're good at. That's like gypsy's curse level of misfortune.
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@cartman82 said in Help! I can't think about this thing and I need to in order to do homework!:
I find it hard to imagine how you can hate doing something you're good at.
Do you think the guy who's greatest in the world at scrubbing out septic tanks loves doing it? For his entire career/life? Statistics would argue it would be a virtual impossibility.
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@blakeyrat said in Help! I can't think about this thing and I need to in order to do homework!:
Do you think the guy who's greatest in the world at scrubbing out septic tanks loves doing it? For his entire career/life?
Kenny: Trailer – 01:52
— sphinxfilmswelikeEdit: oneboxing doesn't work if there's a &t= parameter on the end of the YouTube URL. Pattern match fail?
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@blakeyrat said in Help! I can't think about this thing and I need to in order to do homework!:
I do question how you managed to pass high school without the ability to fluff 100 words of information into 1,000 words of essay.
Normally, it's not a problem. But for this class, it's... different.
@blakeyrat said in Help! I can't think about this thing and I need to in order to do homework!:
Do you think the guy who's greatest in the world at scrubbing out septic tanks loves doing it? For his entire career/life? Statistics would argue it would be a virtual impossibility.
I'm weird like that too. I can wash dishes really well, and I'd actually enjoy doing it. But the pay is... less than optimal.
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@Tsaukpaetra said in Help! I can't think about this thing and I need to in order to do homework!:
Normally, it's not a problem. But for this class, it's... different.
Okay, confession time. I managed 195 words apparently (of 1000).. Here it is in its entirety:
I will be comparing Apple to Microsoft. Apple’s Gross Margin is at 40% compared to Microsoft’s 65%, which indicates that despite having a higher amount of sales, Apple may be spending more on production than compared to Microsoft. Such production costs may be due in part to research and development, because operating costs are higher in comparison, showing at 30% compared to Microsoft’s 19% and reflected in the EBIT margin with 31% and 20% respective. With regards to inventory, similar trends are seen. Apple’s Inventory Turnover is 99.5 while Microsoft’s is 32.25. This could indicate that Apple keeps lower levels of inventory than Microsoft, or that demand is high for Apple product. This is also supported by Daily Sales Outstanding, which for Apple is 56.05 and for Microsoft is 77.32, since lower outstanding sales indicates that transactions are completing quickly. Lastly, Apple maintained a fixed assets turnover of 10.4 versus 6.35 for Microsoft, indicating more efficient use of the fixed assets needed to generate sales.
I would recommend to Apple that perhaps more focus needs to be put in reducing production costs. In comparison to Microsoft however, it seems they are financially stronger than Microsoft.Professor's response:
Tsaukpaetra,
I really did not find much in your report.
Incidentally, how justified is the comparison of Apple to Microsoft?
The nearest competition to Apple is usually viewed to be Samsung or something along these lines as the key money maker for Apple is the i-Phone.So, yeah. Highlighting the dumb. Though they spelt
iPhone
wrong...
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@flabdablet said in Help! I can't think about this thing and I need to in order to do homework!:
Kenny: Trailer – 01:52
— sphinxfilmswelike
Edit: oneboxing doesn't work if there's a &t= parameter on the end of the YouTube URL. Pattern match fail?We have to repeat every single Discourse YouTube bug, one by one.
... apparently.
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@Tsaukpaetra I dunno; I don't really see Microsoft and Apple as much of competitors either, not in the last decade or so.
Apple makes a very very tiny portion of its revenue from a market that Microsoft's also in. Kinda. Since OS X upgrades are free, ... not really. Microsoft makes the bulk of their money in markets Apple's never even bothered with. Business OS, databases, video gaming.
The only intersection is iPhone and Windows Phone, but ... your prof is right, nobody would really say Apple's competitor was Microsoft. Microsoft's an also-ran in that market, at least for now, and there's nothing to indicate that'll change in the near future. (Hell, until they announced phones a few months ago, they didn't release any new Nokia phones for something like 18 months. And they still haven't announced any actual pro phones, to complete with the over-2-year-old 920 and 1020. Which sucks if you're a Windows Phone fan and you want to upgrade your phone-- tough shit! Nothing to upgrade to!) So.
I'm siding with your prof here.
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@blakeyrat said in Help! I can't think about this thing and I need to in order to do homework!:
your prof is right, nobody would really say Apple's competitor was Microsoft.
I didn't say the prof was wrong. My only (fake) gripe was that they didn't spell iPhone right. Where did I claim they were wrong? In fact, I said that the prof's response was highlighting my dumb. Okay, I didn't literally say "my" dumb, but seriously.
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@blakeyrat said in Help! I can't think about this thing and I need to in order to do homework!:
We have to repeat every single Discourse YouTube bug, one by one.
... apparently.To be fair, we did just CADT our entire environment.
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@Tsaukpaetra You said highlighting the dumb, but you failed to highlight anything at all. I am not telepathic. I make no apologies for that.
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@Tsaukpaetra I wonder if @Kaelas could help you? I'll drop him a link, see if he has any tips.
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@Tsaukpaetra said in Help! I can't think about this thing and I need to in order to do homework!:
In fact, I said that the prof's response was highlighting my dumb. Okay, I didn't literally say "my" dumb, but seriously
Your intent seemed clear to me.
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@Yamikuronue said in Help! I can't think about this thing and I need to in order to do homework!:
@Tsaukpaetra I wonder if @Kaelas could help you? I'll drop him a link, see if he has any tips.
Honestly, that's pretty much exactly how I reacted to Accounting. I got through my basic classes by virtue of them being really curvy and slamming my head against the boring. I also found being slightly buzzed when doing homework helped but YMMV- and I do mean slightly. Something about being just a touch more relaxed and also having to focus just a touch more in general made it easier to focus on the number BS.
Talking it out with a friend- even one that's not in that class or that knows nothing about Accounting does help (thanks Yami!) if only because you want to be able to rant about how boring it is with the right words. Also, trying talking outloud to yourself while you study (if you're alone, don't do that in a testing center obviously.)
Other than that, all I can say is to make sure you do every single assignment, even if you're almost sure you got things wrong- even a handful of points is better than a zero and it can add up. I scrapped together a pass for my last accounting class by about three points.
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@Kaelas said in Help! I can't think about this thing and I need to in order to do homework!:
make sure you do every single assignment
Yeah, I totally missed doing a quiz on accident due to scheduling glitches and forgot about it. Only 20 points, but that's a whole 2% of the grade, so yeah.
@Kaelas said in Help! I can't think about this thing and I need to in order to do homework!:
talking outloud to yourself while you study
Might work. I'll need to ensure that doing so doesn't lead to tangents, but it might keep me distracted enough to stay aware.
@Kaelas said in Help! I can't think about this thing and I need to in order to do homework!:
how boring it is with the right words.
I'm becoming more convinced it is actually boring indeed, and I must be in denial about it. Hooray for step 1?
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@Tsaukpaetra Oh it's boring as shit.
But the highest paid person I know does accounting consulting for company mergers. She also travels all over the world as part of doing due diligence (visiting all the offices, etc.) all paid by the employer.
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@Tsaukpaetra said in Help! I can't think about this thing and I need to in order to do homework!:
But every time I try reading the textbook, participating in discussions, or doing homework, I find my mind almost literally shutting down.
some subjects cause this effect when I don't take my add meds
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@blakeyrat Accounting and finance are quite different, though.
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@blakeyrat said in Help! I can't think about this thing and I need to in order to do homework!:
the highest paid person I know does accounting consulting for company mergers. She also travels all over the world as part of doing due diligence (visiting all the offices, etc.) all paid by the employer.
My lizard hypothesis is looking pretty good at this point.