There speaks someone who probably has not read Sir Charles Grandison...
Your mastermind specialist subject
- Thread starter red_tom
- Start date
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
There speaks someone who probably has not read Sir Charles Grandison...
Ah, you misunderstand me! I meant that there is a lot to be said for the subject (of study).
Trust me, Pamela was brutal enough.
Hilldodger
Guru
- Location
- sunny Leicester
mickle
innit
- Location
- 53.933606, -1.076131
My specialist subject would be 'useless information'. I seem to know a lot of it. If not all.
Mad Doug Biker
I prefer animals to most people.
- Location
- Craggy Island
Roit:
Manned space exploration 1961 - 72 (or to the present day, depending on how I feel)
Antarctic exploration
Autism (don't ask)
The history of Hasselblad cameras
Father Ted
The Wallander books
The Glasgow Blue trains (yes, I know)
Butterflies and Moths of Great Britain
Plus one or two others.
Manned space exploration 1961 - 72 (or to the present day, depending on how I feel)
Antarctic exploration
Autism (don't ask)
The history of Hasselblad cameras
Father Ted
The Wallander books
The Glasgow Blue trains (yes, I know)
Butterflies and Moths of Great Britain
Plus one or two others.
There's got to be a novel in there.
Mad Doug Biker
I prefer animals to most people.
- Location
- Craggy Island
Also:
BR West Coast Electrics from 1959 - present day
BR Western Region Diesel Hydraulics from 1957 - 77
and
BR Southern Region Electrics post war to the present day.
BR West Coast Electrics from 1959 - present day
BR Western Region Diesel Hydraulics from 1957 - 77
and
BR Southern Region Electrics post war to the present day.
Flying_Monkey
Recyclist
- Location
- Odawa
I don't think I'd be very good at the specialist bit, especially as the Mastermind subjects these days seem to require obsessive interest in unimportant things. I'm a generalist, in fact I kick General Knowledge ass to the point where I have been banned from pub quizes in several places. I have little in the way of useful specialist knowledge or skills!
biggs682
Itching to get back on my bike's
- Location
- Northamptonshire
type 49 ford escorts ???
- Location
- Next door to Mr Benn at No 54
Why was the person who wrote the timetable called Mr Herbert?
Feckin' birds again!
BrumJim
Forum Stalwart (won't take the hint and leave...)
- Location
- Selly Oak, Birmingham
The life and works of the Italian mathematician Cardano.
A lot of people in my line of work either spell the "Cardan Shaft" (prop shaft to all you automotive fans out there) incorrectly, or forget the capital letter at the start. In order to understand it better and spell it correctly, I looked up the history of the name, and came across this Cardano character.
In 21st Century UK (and probably world-wide) mathematicians are noted for their lack of dress sense, social awkwardness and rather particular and pedantic attitude to everything. They are generally the epitome of clean living, not because of any deep conviction, but because they have worked out that getting very drunk involves feeling really bad next morning, and continue to understand that even after a couple of pints, so stop. Their wives tend to be tolerant and understanding types, who realise that a mathematician will never play away from home, will think all important things through carefully and be generally safe, at the expense of extreme passion. (sorry to all mathematicians for the gross generalisation here - based on my friend's father-in-law and my Godmother's husband).
Cardano on the other hand gambled for a living (using his knowledge of probability to beat his rivals), was cuckolded by his wife, testified against by his son, and committed suicide in order to fulfil his prediction of date of death. More Italian cliché than mathematician stereotype.
A lot of people in my line of work either spell the "Cardan Shaft" (prop shaft to all you automotive fans out there) incorrectly, or forget the capital letter at the start. In order to understand it better and spell it correctly, I looked up the history of the name, and came across this Cardano character.
In 21st Century UK (and probably world-wide) mathematicians are noted for their lack of dress sense, social awkwardness and rather particular and pedantic attitude to everything. They are generally the epitome of clean living, not because of any deep conviction, but because they have worked out that getting very drunk involves feeling really bad next morning, and continue to understand that even after a couple of pints, so stop. Their wives tend to be tolerant and understanding types, who realise that a mathematician will never play away from home, will think all important things through carefully and be generally safe, at the expense of extreme passion. (sorry to all mathematicians for the gross generalisation here - based on my friend's father-in-law and my Godmother's husband).
Cardano on the other hand gambled for a living (using his knowledge of probability to beat his rivals), was cuckolded by his wife, testified against by his son, and committed suicide in order to fulfil his prediction of date of death. More Italian cliché than mathematician stereotype.
I'm afraid I've a masochistic fascination with it, and only just came to my senses whilst attempting to write a PhD about it. Have you read Shamela?
