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Jisha Sen Works at Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur

(IITK)
Studied at Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur
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Jisha Sen · May 5

Works at Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IITK)
Steven Haddock · Answered May 5
What are some effects of colonization that we can still see today?
Steven Haddock · May 5
LL.B. degree, 25 years in litigation, administrative law, collections, bankrupty and…
African railways
As you can see, except in southern Africa. They’re pretty useless.
Even if they did connect with each other, which they don’t, they all use different
gauges.
Each of these railways was built to extract a particular resource and take it to the
coast to sell it.
Compare with Africa a thousand years ago
These are the “natural” trade routes in Africa where people traded things they had in
surplus to places where they were in short supply. One of the biggest trades was salt
from East Africa for gold in west Africa. At upper left near the Mossi States is
Timbuktu, which as a major trade center. Here’s what the “ruins” look like
However, when Europeans arrived in the 15th century, the gold trade was disrupted
and it all started flowing overseas. It must have seemed like a good idea, but soon the
Africans had little to no control over their resources and that situation lasted for the
better part of a century.
Now, here’s a railway map of my country, Canada
Now, imagine that there are only three railways - one from Vancouver to the BC
interior that doesn’t reach Jasper, one from Churchill to Winnipeg with a line to St.
Paul, MN, and one from Halifax to Toronto. That’s pretty much the transportation
system Canada had when it stopped being a colony and became a Dominion. It took
a lot of effort to link all this up.
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Jisha Sen · May 3

Shubham KP · Answered Apr 30
If you can give me only one secret to improve myself, what would
it be?
Shubham KP · Apr 30
Advice Seeker
The fastest man on earth was defeated by Yohan Blake not in just 100 meters, but in
200 meters too.
It was before the 2012 London Olympics.
Ask anyone and you’ll know that Usain Bolt was a perfect example of ‘born talent’.
He would not just win, he would absolutely humiliate his opponents by some biggest
margins.
Such was his talent and legacy.
But being talented isn’t enough sometimes.
After Bolt was defeated at the nationals, he used to train so hard that he would vomit
every single day while preparing for the London Olympics.
He took his defeat quite personally.
He didn’t just sit in the corner to wail and fret, he went to the tracks and trained like
absolutely nobody.
Fast forward few months,
Usain Bolt won three gold medals for Jamaica at the London Olympics.
I’ll not give you only one secret to improve yourself, I’ll give you just one word:
OUTWORK.
Outwork like an effing maniac for the thing that you’re passionate about.
Don’t just dream and wish.
Work like nobody.
OUTWORK.
We all are gifted,
Shubham KP
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Jisha Sen · May 3

David Oberhoffer · Answered Apr 28

As a police officer, what is the oddest thing you found during a pat
down?
David Oberhoffer · Apr 28
BS Aerospace and Aeronautical Engineering & Police and Law Enforcement, San Jose Stat…
You kinda had to be there…..
Back when homeless people were Hobos, Drunks were Winos, and “substance
abusers” were Hypes, I pounded a classic foot patrol beat on San Francisco's Mission
Street. After 3 or four years, I literally knew everyone on my beat, bad, good, or wack-
a-doo.
We’d periodically get some merchants complaining about this or that, so the Captain
would tell the Lieutenant, and he would lean on the street Sergeant, who in turn
would tell us: “ Its the weekly sweep time boys”.
Mitch would grab the BIG paddy wagon, and the six beat cops would ride its rear
bumper while picking up the usual miscreants more or less at random.
We’d do a decent job of disarming them before tossing them in the wagon, and in
that the prisoners and the cops knew how to play the game, we didn’t get any big
surprises.
Untill:
I forget his real name, but if I called him “stinky” , and mentioned that he NEVER took
off any of the 3 pairs of pants, or five overcoats he wore, everyone knew who he was.
Stinky was face down on the pavement across the street from the food market at
22nd when we grabbed him. Mitch did a cursory high risk pat search for weapons, or
bottles of cheap wine, and finding none, cuffed him up and put him in with the other
15 bums in the back of the wagon.
At the Station, we had a regular assembly line thing going where the arrestees would
line up, get a photo taken, have their meager belongings tossed into a brown grocery
bag, and then shamble into the drunk tank.
Stinky shuffles up, and is so out of it, he can’t empty any of his 11 coat pockets. Mitch
leans him against the booking counter, and begins taking handfuls of God know what
out of the pockets.
Suddenly Mitch jumps in the air, yelling all sorts of Germanic based profanity, and is
yelling “ Something bit me..something M….F….g BIT ME !!!”
Stinky has a semi-blank look on his face, but says; “ Oh, that’s just my lunch”
I grabbed the offending coat, ( while wearing gloves!) , turned it up-side down, and
shook it.
About 7 or 10 half-dollar sized LIVE soft shell crabs fell out, and began scuttling
around the booking room.
Stinky had apparently stolen them out of the fresh sea-food bin at the fish market up
the street before we nabbed him.
To say that hilarity ensued would be vastly understating the commotion that followed,
but suffice to say Stinky didn’t get his lunch, and Mitch never lived it down.
The Lieutenant had Mitch prepare a Line Up Briefing presentation on the “importance
of proper searches during custody” later that week. There wasn’t a dry eye in the
house when he finished
10–7
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Jisha Sen · Apr 27

Rajan Singh · Updated Apr 28
Is our social media actually ruining our life?

Rajan Singh · Apr 28
CEO ConceptOwl, Ex-IPS, IITian, Wharton MBA
Here is an easy way to ruin your life.
Start the day by checking WhatsApp, and then get sucked into a vortex of endlessly
checking Facebook, Instagram, online news, Twitter, whatever... To take it to the next
level, there is TikTok.
Keep repeating the cycle, and by evening, you will be a worn-out, empty shell.
But did all your time REALLY go waste? No.
Your time was fragmented, chopped, and sold to advertisers by social media
companies. Some entrepreneur will add up all the time sucked from your life, and call
it a metric - ‘user engagement’.
Your life has become a metric for someone, who will raise hundreds of crores from
VCs because he successfully sucked up your time. VCs will gleefully clap at rising ‘user
engagement’ - the dead corpse of your destroyed day.
And this VC money will be used to create even more hooks to further increase ‘user
engagement’.
I wish my rant above was a hyperbole. It is not.
The situation is dire. You have two choices: become someone else’s metric OR rule
your destiny.
Make your choice.

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Jisha Sen · Apr 25

Goa was ruled by the cruel Portuguese for 500 years. Thankfully, not Japan.
Jason Almendra · Answered Apr 24
Why didn't the imperial European powers conquer Japan, as they

did other nations in the Pacific and Indo-China, between the 17th
to 19th century?
Jason Almendra · Apr 24
Bachelor in Arts Geography Hunter College
The Portuguese first landed in Japan in 1543. They demonstrated their matchlock
arquebuses. The local daimyo immediately copied them. But there was a trick to
sealing the breech. So he bribed a Portuguese gunsmith with money and a wife to
teach Japanese smiths how to seal the breech. Within a few years guns proliferated in
the Japanese archipelago.
Then in 1596, a Spanish galleon from Manila heading to Acapulco washed ashore in
Japan. The crew was detained but treated well. The local daimyo invited the officers to
dinner. Once the sake started flowing. The Spanish wouldn't shut-up. They bragged
to the Japanese that they conquered countries by first sending missionaries to
convert the people. Then later they sent the soldiers & bureaucrats.
The Japanese transcribed the “interrogation” and submitted it to Hideyoshi, the

supreme warlord of Japan. He then started the persecutions of Christians. Later the
Tokugawa dynasty took power and enacted the Sakoku policy.
San Felipe incident (1596) - Wikipedia
Sakoku - Wikipedia
At your service.
(Thanks for the edit. But I know I won't win the Nobel Prize for Literature.)
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Jisha Sen · Apr 23

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Love your life, love your relationships.
Joseph Larez · Updated Apr 26

What is an incident that changed your life?
Joseph Larez · Apr 26
Studied Integral, Natural Systems
The doctor stood over me and said, “Mr. Larez, you were one day away from
death.”
Rewind.
It was a warm summer afternoon almost 10 years ago today. I was visiting my family
for the weekend. It had been too long since I saw them.
Another week would have been torture!
Little did I know this visit would lead to even greater suffering.
All was going according to plan. Good music. Good BBQ.
And suddenly I felt a pressure in my throat. I tried to ignore it, but it was only getting
worse.
“Are you ok?” my mother asked with a concerned look.
I simply nodded and decided to get some rest.
It was several days later before I finally realized something must be wrong.
The pain was getting unbearable... Still, I decided to wait it out.
This continued for an entire week.
All the while my friends and family were pleading to me to see a doctor. I figured it
would pass eventually, so I respectfully declined.
Finally, as I lay on my cousin's couch barely able to move, my family came to me and
said: “You’re going to the hospital.”
I obliged.
I was seen immediately. The doctor placed his hand upon my throat before walking to
the other side of the room.
“It’s hard. We're going to need to see what's going on in there,” he said. “I’m going to
need to extract a sample.”
“A sample?” I asked with concern.
He then proceeded to take out the biggest needle I have ever seen in my life.
Now I'm not afraid of needles, but I'm definitely not a fan.
It was bigger than my hand! And thicker than my fingers.
He shoved the giant needle directly into the center of my throat and what he pulled
out still amazes me to this day… A full vial of yellow-brown pus…
“You're going to need immediate surgery,” he said.

I just sat there.
It was only a few minutes before they rushed me off to another room to remove the
accumulated pus in my neck. The surgery passed in the blink of an eye.
I awoke with a terrible pain in my throat. It was nothing like I've ever experienced.
And keep in mind I've broken close to a dozen bones in my life.
When I was young I literally thought I was cursed. Every year from the time I was 5
until the age of 13 I would incur a serious injury on or around my birthday.
But I digress!
“Had any BBQ lately?” he asked.
I nodded.
“You appear to have swallowed a metal wire,” said the doctor as he showed me my X-
rays.
He then pulled out the wire which must have been at least 4 inches long!
“Apparently, the wire had fallen off from one of those brushes you use to clean BBQ
pits. And the pressure inside your throat caused a large pus ball to form,” he said
almost in disbelief.
“Mr. Larez, you were one day away from death,” the doctor said as he stood over me.
“If you hadn’t come in when you did, that ball would have burst, suffocating you.”
I simply sat there.
All of a sudden my whole life flashed before my eyes.
All the mistakes I had made.
All the things I wish I said.
The goals I had yet to accomplish.
Then it dawned on me…
“What if I was too late? How would my family have taken the news?” I thought.
Right then and there I vowed to never take my relationships for granted again.
I learned to appreciate the little things.
I learned to be in the moment.
I learned to forgive and to trust others’ intentions.
Life is too short to not spend it doing what you love with the people you love.
This a lesson I still hold with me to this day. And one I hope I never forget.
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Jisha Sen · Mar 29

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Ron Irwin · Answered Jan 23

Adlai Armundsen upvoted this
Have you ever had a job where you did nothing for years and
nobody found out?
Ron Irwin · Jan 23
Senior Lecturer at University of Cape Town (1994–present)
Classic story here…. I have tried to find a copy of this online but no luck. Anyone who
has ever been a freelancer (like me) can sympathize with wanting to work around
other people after the novelty of working in our pajamas wears off.
Anyway…
Back in the 1990s during the dot-com boom this freelance writer in New York got
tired of hanging around his apartment and procrastinating. So he decided to put on
work attire and presented himself at a major start up company as an employee.
He, however, was not an employee. He just wanted a new place to work and figured a
proper office would help him focus.
He just anonymously rode the elevator up to a huge floor with hundreds of open plan
desks, found an empty cubicle, put down his lunch, signed into a workstation and
started working. He helped himself liberally to the snacks and coffee that were set out
for the real employees, and while he kept to himself he managed to make a few
friends who actually never asked him what he did. He worked on his freelance pieces
at the cubicle, happily drinking the coffee and attending a few meetings but generally
not making waves. When he was finally asked what the heck we he was doing on the
floor, he simply replied he was doing “systems analysis” from the “fifth floor” and
people just let it go. Apparently he was only questioned once or twice.
During this time he got the proper ID and other corporate paraphernalia. He went to
a few social events just to meet some girls. Apparently, this went on for months until
there was a massive downsizing. Apparently, most of the people on the floor got fired
(save for him, because he had never been hired) and he wound up working almost by
himself in this enormous working area.
He finally decided he was getting lonely without all of his other former “colleagues”
and “quit”…going back to his apartment.
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Jisha Sen · Mar 26

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What does a matriarchal society look like?
Raakhee V. Menon · Answered December 29, 2015

Upvote · 394 Share · 6
Why the Kerala Nair marriages have minimal rituals, almost like a 5
minute wedding compared to the 5 day functions in north Indian
weddings?
Raakhee V. Menon · December 29, 2015
Indian by birth, culture and upbringing
Thank you for the A2A.
This is a topic I have written elaborately on in a blog post on a similar subject. I'll take
the liberty of copy-pasting it here. To understand the reason behind the simplicity of
Nair marriages, it's important to know this as well...
Nairs-The fearless warriors
Nairs were famed far and wide for their valour and hot tempers. They occupied the
highest positions in the king's army. The traditional martial art form of Kerala, the
Kalaripayattu, was an art taught solely to Nairs. No other sub division of society were
permitted to learn it. The Kalaris, or practice grounds, were never in open areas for
public view. They were always closed enclosures either within the teacher's home or
in a specially made basement with sanded floors. Women were also given training in
Kalaripayattu up to a certain level. Unlike other sections of society, Nairs were and still
primarily are a matriarchal society. Women are the family heads. The reason for this
difference will be discussed in the next section. Besides Kalaripayattu, the Thiruvathira
Kali, a slow and graceful dance form of Kerala, was only allowed to be performed by
the Nair women. The festival of Thiruvathira was celebrated almost solely by them. On
this day, believed to be the day of the birth of Lord Shiva, Nair women prepared
special dishes, refrained from eating rice, tattooed their hands with henna, chewed on
betel leaves and played on swings. It was entirely their festival. It is said that married
women celebrated this festival for the long life of their husbands and unmarried girls
did so to be blessed with a husband as glorious as Lord Shiva.
Occupations
As mentioned earlier, the Nairs were a warrior clan and almost 90% of them joined
the king's army. The other 10% were the nobility that remained as sea-faring
merchants or royal ministers. There was no other occupation open to them. They all
had huge expanses of land under farming but they just remained as overlords. Their
vassals who belonged to the lower sections of society did the actual farming.
These vassals were practically 'owned' by the families. They worked with them for
generations and were paid in kind. They were an extremely loyal lot and would even
give up their lives for their master. They received their daily food from their masters'
houses. If they were in need of any help, like say marrying off their daughter, the
master's family took care of all expenses and married off the girl. It was a comfortable
arrangement. Things changed though when communism came into the picture.
Nair women
This segment should form one of the most interesting reads of the entire article. If
one has ever been to a Nair wedding, he would certainly notice how relatively short
the wedding is and the obvious absence of a priest. In all other sections of society
and around the world, in general, a marriage is not solemnized without the presence
of a priest. It is not so amongst Nairs.
The life of a Nair warrior was always at the feet of the king. They were something like
the Samurai warriors of Japan. They never returned from a battle defeated. Either they
took lives or gave up theirs. There was practically no guarantee for the life of a Nair
warrior. But the clan must go on. So they had to marry just for the sake of it.
Marriages in those days was an awfully simple affair. On a pre-fixed auspicious day,
the groom would come to the house of the bride, present her with a new cloth
(kodi/pudava) which was usually a pair of the two piece garment worn by Nair
women, and take her away to his home. This was the entire marriage! The inclusion of
tying a sacred thread around the neck of the bride is a relatively recent development
(my own grandmothers did not have a thalikettu ceremony). All other rituals seen in
modern day marriages are due to influences from surrounding states. The girl was
safely brought back to her home on the third day after the wedding and the groom
went back to his home immediately. Thereafter, the groom would visit her whenever
he pleased but his permanent residence was always at his maternal home. The
children born out of this relationship were given the family name of their mother.
To be honest, Nair men almost never stayed faithful to their married wives. This could
be because of the nonexistent system of cohabitation with the woman they married.
They were known to be extremely handsome men. They would have mistresses in and
around their hometown and even in distant lands where they went to battle. Women
also seldom stayed on the better side of the moral divide. The long absences of their
husbands facilitated this.
But this must not be misconstrued as the women being loose in character. Nair
women, like their menfolk, were extremely proud and wouldn't trade their pride for
the world. Who she chooses to let into her bed-chamber was entirely left to her
discretion. It was a part of her private life that nobody dared to interfere with. It is a
commonly propagated story that Nair women left their doors open to Namboothiri
men 24x7. This is not entirely true. Most Nair women were wealthy and enjoyed a
high status in society. They did not really need financial backing from anyone. So
there was no need for them to give up their bodies to men in exchange for financial
favors. If a Nair woman chose to let a man into her bed-chamber, it was because she
desired him. End of story. It was not like a Namboothiri fancies a Nair woman and he
gets his way with her. If the proud Nair woman chooses to ignore his amorous
advances, he had no choice but to accept it and go in search of easier targets.
Now Nair community has about 140+ sub castes - the highest being the Kiriyathil
Nairs and Samanthan Nairs(or Malayala Kshatriyas-the Kshatriyas were permitted to
marry women belonging to this sect only) and the lowest being the Veluthedathu Nairs
(dhobis) and Vilakkithala Nairs (barbers). There were women in the lower rungs of the
Nair clan who weren't as affluent as their Kiriyathil Nair counterparts. Now it was
these women that welcomed the wealthy Namboothiris into their homes in the hope
of begetting a child from them, in order to better their financial status. The child was
provided for by the biological father but stayed with its mother and the woman
remained in the status of just the mother of the Namboothiri's child. Nothing more. It
is wrong to generalize that ALL Nair women followed this practice.
This fact is further strengthened by looking a little closer at the architecture of ancient
Nair family homes. Almost all houses had bedrooms with two doors-one that opened
into the house and the other that opened to the outside. It is said that the latter were
used by both men and women of the house to let in their secret lovers. So, the
concept of a child belonging to the father's family was immaterial. Because, shameful
though it may be, the fiery Nair women often slept with more than one man. And
being the fearless daughter of a warrior herself, she did not consider it necessary to
discuss the fatherhood of her child with the world.
So the children were given the maternal family name. They had practically no ties with
their father or his family. They belonged to their mother's family. In their father's
family, they were outsiders. All these infidelity issues changed gradually with the
onset of social policing. But the tradition of family name still remains the same. Today,
a Nair child may have his father's name as his surname. But when he is asked for his
family name, it is his mother's family name that belongs to him and not his father's.
Nairs and property
The property of a Nair man was never inherited by his children. It was distributed
amongst the children of his sisters. This distribution was also not equal. The major
share of the property was given to the females of the house. The men inherited only a
small share.
The family home usually went to the eldest daughter, though in later and more recent
times, that is given to the youngest son. The heirloom jewellery, which were usually
passed down from generation to generation, was equally distributed amongst the
women. None of it went to the men.
The one really good thing about this system was that the women who inherited
precious things like ancient furniture and jewellery would have been seeing it from
their childhood and knew how much they were worth and what they meant to the
family. Quite unlike the viewpoint of a woman who has married into the family. No
matter how hard the family tries, she would never really understand the true worth of
the family's most prized possessions.
The men did get rights over some furniture, though the best of those too went to the
women. This property divide remained strong until the Hindu Property Act was
brought about in the early 70s.
Nairs in the 21st century
A lot has changed since those days. Today's Nairs are a lot less like their flamboyant
ancestors. And many of them do not even wish to be reminded of the lifestyle their
predecessors led, for fear of being socially shunned. But I feel that there is nothing to
be ashamed of in recollecting the life of your ancestors. They lived a life that suited
their lifestyle and era. We have no reason to lead a life like that today. But we must
never forget the way we came nor our glorious past. What remain today are mere
remnants of the valorous society that was. For instance…
· The system of giving the maternal family name to children
· The absence of a priest in a wedding
· The custom of bringing back the bride on the third day after marriage
· The never dying community spirit· The incessant urge to succeed in every endeavour
· The desperation that surfaces in the unlikely event of a failure
Long live the Nair race! Long live Nagavamsam!
P.S.: Much of what I have written are things I have grown up hearing from my family
elders. I come from an ancient Nair family that hails from Tripunithura in Ernakulam
district of Kerala but traces its origins to Aazhvanchery in Northern Malabar. The
customs and systems I have explained may/may not be true for families in the
Travancore area of Kerala.
One of my grand-aunts a few generations ago was a famed beauty who was married to
the then Raja of Cochin who is said to have fallen in love at first sight with her :)
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Jisha Sen · Mar 21

Upvote · 1 Reshareof Technology, Kanpur (IITK)
Works at Indian Institute
This happened to me too.
Ahmad Abubakr (‫ · )اﺣﻤﺪ اﺑﻮﺑﮑﺮ‬Answered Jan 23

What’s a mildly infuriating thing that happens in your day-to-day
life?
Ahmad Abubakr (‫ · )اﺣﻤﺪ اﺑﻮﺑﮑﺮ‬Jan 23
I will begin by saying that this might be hard for people outside of South Asia to
understand. This is something that happens throughout Pakistan. From what I have
heard it happens in India as well. We all see it every single day. While most people do
not seem to notice it or get bothered by it. It infuriates me.
This stupidity is what bothers me.
A family travelling on a motorbike in Pakistan
Notice something in the picture above. The woman is sitting sideways on a

motorbike. Now you might wonder why she would sit on the bike in such a weird
position. The answer is modesty. A modest woman sits on the bike sideways
according to the cultural beliefs in South Asia.
Lets begin with just how dangerous it is to sit on a motorbike sideways. At all times
you must maintain balance. Tilt a little and you fall. A small bump in the road and you
fall. And if you fall backwards, your head is likely to take the first blow.
Now look at the picture once again. Notice that the woman is carrying a small child.
So not only is she endangering herself but also her child.
Another picture of this stupidity. This one seems to be from India.
It is not the women’s fault that they sit sideways. The blame actually lies on the
society and culture for this obsession with women’s modesty. I do not see how sitting
sideways makes a woman more modest. And let’s say that hypothetically it does. Is
the modesty of a woman more important than her life? Because it certainly seems so
to society.
It is not as if women have not noticed how dangerous this is. I read an article today
about this and how multiple women were called besharam (shameless) for sitting on a
motorbike properly. Society criticizes people who try to bring about this positive
change. Imagine this. Random men on the street taking offense at a woman sitting
properly on a bike because she values her safety and life. Why? Because according to
them she is sitting like a man.
As for the whole thing about this being a modest way to sit. Here is an example from
the past. In the earliest days of Islam, Khawlah bint al-Azwar led forces into battle.
Does anyone actually think that she rode into battle in a side saddle position? If a
Muslim woman could sit normally on a horse like every man did over a thousand
years ago without being accused of a lack of modesty, I do not see why women in
Pakistan should be harassed in such a manner in the modern age.
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Jisha Sen · Mar 21
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We will get there one day. You better think about it and plan for it.
Gopalkrishna Vishwanath · Updated Mar 13

Upvote · 3K Share · 22
What do most of the Indians do wrong in terms of retirement?
Gopalkrishna Vishwanath · Mar 13
True Indian, who feels at home anywhere in India.
1. Not preparing for it or even thinking about it in during their high earning
years.
2. Not realizing how serious the ravages of inflation can be.
3. Trusting their bodies too much and not mentally preparing for sudden
surprises that take a toll on their health. They believe “that cannot happen to
me” until it is too late.
4. Depending totally on their children to take care of them when they are old.
5. Not preparing for the sudden departure of their spouse and planning ahead
for how the surviving partner will manage.
6. Not reconciling with the loss of “importance” once they retire and expecting
the same reverential/deferential treatment from everyone around them.
7. Not leaving a clear will and creating a problem for the next generation.
8. Constantly living in the past instead of living in the present and being
optimistic about the future.
9. Not planning what to do with all the time they have at their disposal.
(Thanks to Priyanka for suggesting this in her comment.)
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Jisha Sen · Feb 25

Upvote ·1 Reshareof Technology, Kanpur (IITK)
Howard Lynch · Answered Feb 20

Jisha Sen upvoted this
What are the answers to questions nobody actually needed to
know?
Howard Lynch · Feb 20
Howard is at home, sitting at his dining room table.
On his face, a wide grin. In his eyes, a glint of mischievousness. On his plate, an object
he has been coveting all day. He woke up thinking about it. He forced himself to wait
even though he didn’t have to.
It was finally time.
His wife was at the gym. Howard’s smile widened at the irony. For while she was
putting in the work on a treadmill, Howard was about to do some work of his own.
On a giant…
slice…
of cream cheese frosted carrot cake.
The biggest slice of cake he’s ever attempted in his life.
He purposely waited until his wife was out of the house, because although she’s seen
him eat some cake before, this was beyond anything he wanted her to see.
Or remember.
Or tell other people.

Howard grabbed his fork.
This was going to be epic. He already knew what his taste buds were in for. He’s eaten
slices of this gift from the bakery gods before. But this time, it wasn’t a slice.
It was a “slice”.
No one would actually call what was on his plate a slice. Maybe “shameful” or
“gluttonous”, but definitely not a slice.
Howard eyed up his prize. Where to start? Dive right in on the frosted edge and just
throw caution to the wind? Maybe take a piece from the middle with just a little of
the frosting in the center and tease himself for what’s to come?
Fuck it.
He drove his fork right into the edge and pulled away a piece that no sane person
would stick in their mouth, and shoved it in.
Oh….yeah.
His eyes rolled back as he struggled to breathe through his nose. He slowly savored
the decadence. The creaminess. The sweetness. The heavenly taste that…
Howard’s wife: “Hey, Babe! I’m home! What are you…..Oh my god! What the hell is
that?!”
Shocked, his face full of cake, Howard stood up and tried to explain.
Howard: “Mwertmm armmem themmemth ooom?!”
Howard’s wife: “You wanna try that again?”
Howard quickly chewed just enough to swallow so he could speak.
Howard: “What are you doing home?! You’ve only been gone 15 minutes!”
Howard’s wife: “I came back because I forgot my earbuds. What the hell is that?!”
Howard looked at his plate, then at his wife. He tried to play it cool.
Howard: “A piece of cake.”
Howard’s wife: “A piece?! Are you serious? That’s like half a fuckin’ cake!!”
Howard: “It’s not half! It’s……close to half.”
Then Howard’s wife uttered the words that no one who enjoys a good dessert ever
wants to hear.
Howard’s wife: “Do you know how many calories are in a slice of that cake?”
Quickly Howard covered his ears.
Howard: “NO, NO, NO!! STOP IT!!! I’M NOT LISTENING TO YOU!!!”
Howard’s wife: “It’s like 800 calories for small piece….Where are you going?!”
Still covering one ear, Howard used his other hand to grab his plate and started
running for the door.
Howard: “I’M NOT HEARING YOU!!! I CAN’T HEAR YOU!!!”
Howard’s wife: “That’s like 4000 calories, Howard!! Get back here!”
Howard’s wife gives chase as Howard runs out the door, still holding his “slice” of
carrot cake. As he runs he grabs the cake with his bare hand and starts stuffing it into
his face.
Howard: “MMMEYE CANNTTHMF MMEAR YOMMMFH!!!”
A neighbor outside raking his leaves stopped and watched a grown man run by
holding a plate with cake on it, yelling incoherently with his mouth full, as his wife
chased him down the street…
If the question is, “How many calories are in that

cake/pie/cookie/muffin/cupcake/chocolate bar/ice cream?”, I don’t want to know
the answer!
Nobody wants to know that! Leave us alone!!
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1 comment from Howard Lynch
Jisha Sen · Feb 25

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Haha
Revett Eldred · Answered Feb 12

What is British humour and why do some people dislike it?
Revett Eldred · Feb 12
Political cynic, been that way for 77 years.
Back in the ‘60s, London. Colin had inherited a house in South Kensington and
enough money that he drove an Aston Martin. He rented out the half of the house he
didn't need, to me and three others. For reasons unknown he suffered from
depression.
One Sunday evening his girl friend found him in bed, surrounded by pills and an
almost-empty bottle of Scotch, dead as a dodo. Unusual death -- we called the
police. A sergeant turned up accompanied by a rookie cop who looked about 19
years old. We were sitting around doing nothing while the sergeant was in with Colin
and girlfriend doing whatever the police do in those situations, when the young cop,
obviously disturbed by the whole scene , said “I can't believe it. He had everything:
money, a house, a nice car, and a beautiful bird. If I had all that, committing suicide
would be the last thing I'd do.”
“Well,” says I, “ It was the last thing he did, wasn't it.”
Disgusted silence…
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Jisha Sen · Feb 14

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Most basic no-nos. This is for all post graduates and professional researchers.
Paul Hywel-Evans · Answered Feb 13

What's the biggest no-no when you are a PhD student?
Paul Hywel-Evans · Feb 13
Chemist/Director, Ph.D. chemistry, C.Sci. MRACI C.Chem MRSC
There are two actions which will destroy your career,
The first is copying someone else's work. A student at Hamburg Uni presented his
thesis including a graphical out put copied from form someone else's PhD ( in those
days the web was fairly new and the reference was obscure, so he though they could
get away with it). They didn't get away with it, their thesis was found to be a
plaigeriseing document and they had their PhD withdrawn.
The second was making stuff up. A student at my Uni in 96 was found out because
when they repeated his experiments non of them worked and non of them gave the
clear and resounding result he was reporting. His Thesis was rejected. The stupid
thing is if he had reported the negative results he would have had a clear indication
that the mechanism was not as expected and he would have gained his PhD.
So don’t lie and don’t copy.

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Jisha Sen · Feb 12

A symbolic picture with a direct interpretation.
Atul Chauhan · Answered Feb 1

Vidushi Gupta and Jisha Sen upvoted this
Why should we read the Bhagavad Gita? What are the benefits of
reading the Bhagavad Gita?
Atul Chauhan · Feb 1
Practicing spirituality from 3 years
Tale of humans in the current world.
1. Elephant represents past karma.
2. Snake represents future karma.
3. Tree branch is present life.
4. White and black rats - day and night - eating away present life.
5. Honey comb is Maya and material Life.
While Mahavishnu extends his hands to the human to give him moksha and release
him from this cycle of Misery of rebirth.
But, the human is so engrossed in the dripping honey/ nectar that he fails to see the
extended hand of Mahavishnu.
So Read Bhāgwadgeeta between the lines and apply what is says in your daily
practical life. You will take one step closer to Muktï. 🚩🇮🇳
133 comments from Anubhav Dixit, Sri, Devarajan Partahasarathy and more
Jisha Sen · Feb 1

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Would you follow the crowd?
Aishah Hannan · Updated Apr 23

What is your version of "the two types of people in the world"?
Aishah Hannan · Apr 23
Assistant Psychologist, Mental Health Advocate
Which two lines match in length?
Seems fairly simple right?

You'd be surprised at how many people gave the wrong answer.
In this experiment (Asch, 1951), 123 participants were placed in a group of 8. Only
one participant was a genuine subject; the rest were confederates.
Each subject was asked which line was the longest or which line matched the target
line.
But here's the trick. The confederates were giving the wrong answer. Knowing this,
would the real subject change his answer to respond in the same way?
This allowed the researcher to see whether the participant would change his or her
answer based on added peer pressure.
The results were interesting.
Asch thought that the majority of people would not conform to something clearly
wrong, but the results showed that 74% conformed at least once.[1]
This result is important in demonstrating the importance of privacy when answering

life-changing questions, so that people do not feel pressured to conform.
Some are confident in expressing their opinions without fear of backlash whilst others
may be clouded by doubt and easily swayed.
This is why anonymous surveys are clever. They allow people to fully express how
they feel about a subject, without the fear of retaliation and judgement.
Footnotes
[1] Conformity - Asch (1951) | Psychology | tutor2u
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Jisha Sen · Jan 26

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Sean Kernan · Updated Jan 24

What dog deserves a medal?
Sean Kernan · Jan 24
Son of Quora
Michael Hingson was working on the 78th floor of Tower 2 when it was hit during the
9/11 attacks.
He was a blind man and had been that way since birth.
His seeing eye dog, Roselle, immediately perked up and ran to his side. He made a
quick phone call to his wife, unsure of what was happening. His dog then began
guiding him down the stairs, through screaming people, rushing mobs poured down
the stairs, shoving him into walls.
His dog stayed with him. As they descended, and the other World Trade Center
Building was already collapsing.
They emerged from the building. His loyal dog Roselle continued guiding him for
dozens of blocks, through the smoke, and falling debris. As he continued, and as he
stumbled on innumerable obstacles, he hung on to him, both of them eventually
finding their way to safety.
Roselle went on to receive the ACE dog award for excellence. (Source: Roselle, Who
Helped Her Blind Partner Escape the WTC. AKC Staff)
When the dust settled. And he began to restart his life. Roselle and Michael moved
away from NYC and found work at a guide dog center, training guide dogs and
helping other blind people in working with their dog.
Roselle lived another 10 years, having had a great life, being one of the world’s best
guide dogs, all before passing away of ripe old age (14), with both Michael and his
wife at her side.
Rest in peace, Roselle. You did a great job.
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Jisha Sen · Jan 22

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C.S. Friedman · Updated February 28, 2019

As an English professor, how can you tell a student has an
exceptional talent for writing?
C.S. Friedman · February 28, 2019
Novelist, Writing Instructor
You read his stuff and you know.
I'm not trying to be flippant. When you read something by someone with innate
writing talent, you know it. Somewhere in the mix of word choice and language
rhythm and transition use and organization of thoughts and choice of imagery and a
thousand other elements, there is a spark of something magical. It's in the chemistry
of how everything is put together, hinting at an innate and instinctive understanding
of how the elements of writing interact. Maybe the piece makes you hurt, or
sympathize, or feel angry. Maybe it makes you think. Maybe it paints a picture that
burns itself into your mind. Maybe you sit there and think, "wow, that is a beautiful
sentence, I wish I'd written it." It could be any of those things. It could be all of them.
It could be a hint of something wonderful, adrift in a sea of struggling grammar and
half-expressed ideas.
I once asked my editor about how she assessed a new manuscript. She said, "The first
thing I want to know is, is this person a writer?" Your use of language betrays your
skill on the first page.
Once I had a student come to me for tutoring in writing. I always ask for a writing
sample so I can see what students are starting with. He turned in a five page story of
a horrific fantasy battle scene. I don't remember the details, but there was sweat and
dirt and an army of skeletons, and you could smell the blood on the wind as an army
of beleaguered knights made their last stand … it was dark and gruesome for sure,
but his love of writing resonated in every sentence, as did the raw power of his
imagination.
That was a writer. He had a spark you can't teach, an instinct for visual imagery that
was off the charts.
He also had written something so dark and bloody that many teachers might regard
it as a warning sign of suicidal depression, or hidden sociopathy, or something worse.
It was the kind of story some teachers might share with a guidance counselor, "just in
case." I didn't feel that way about it because I write some pretty dark fantasy myself,
and I know that just because you write about skeletons and gore doesn't mean you
are about to go off and torture kittens.
I was, however, interested in how his mother perceived this stream of dark imagery
pouring out of her son, and whether it worried her. So I broached the subject lightly
— something along the lines of, "Wow, that was pretty dark stuff!". And she said that
apparently it was a scene from a fantasy game he and all his friends were playing, and
they all were writing adventures like that. She was thrilled at how powerful his writing
was, even though the subject matter wasn't exactly her cup of tea.
At that point she got my vote for "Best Mom Ever". :-)
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Jisha Sen · Jan 8

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Now that you say it, yes, we Indians are quite selfish. And our current system nurtures that.
Jayesh Lalwani · Answered April 9, 2017

Vidushi Gupta and Jisha Sen upvoted this
With growing feminism in India, will Indians lose our selfless,
loving Indian parenthood tradition? Will parenthood and family
mechanics become similar to the West?
Jayesh Lalwani · April 9, 2017
Indian on the inside, Indian on the outside, American in the middle
You mean with feminism, parents will stop looking at boys as a means of support for
their old age? I don’t see anything wrong with that.
Or with feminism, parents will stop favoring the boys while neglecting the girls to the
point of starvation? Hell, yeah. I’m good with that
Or will parents stop forcing their kids to go into engineering and medicine when the
kids have no aptitude/interest for it? About time!
Or will parents stop pestering their sons to produce an heir who can carry on the
family name? Boo-yah!
Maybe, we will finally end parents burning their daughter-in-laws because she is not
producing a grandson? Sweet!
Traditional Indian parenthood is not selfless. Traditional Indian parenthood is an

investment. Traditionally, Indians had children in hopes that they will get boys who
can support them in old age. Boys are retirement policy. Girls are dead weight around
their necks. Daughter-in-laws are boy producing machines
You know what is selflessness? Feeding, clothing, educating your child for 18 years,
and then letting them be who they want to be, whether they become a scientist or a
janitor. Selflessness is supporting your child emotionally and fiscally till the day you
die, with no expectation of return. Traditionally, Indians don’t do that. Western
parents do this.
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Jisha Sen · Jan 5

Crowley the crow
Larry Kerson · Updated Dec 30

Adlai Armundsen and Jisha Sen upvoted this
What is something your pet has done that left you in awe?
Larry Kerson · Dec 30
Former Creative Director
The crow was a fledgling when my neighbor, the Vet, handed him to me. “Larry,
someone brought this baby bird into my office. Would you like him?”
I looked down at the caged crow. I could see that not only was he very young, but
that he had already been burdened with a seemingly immutable weight. Whether it
was by birth or injury, there was something wrong with one of his wings. And because
of this difference from the other crows, his mother had abandoned him. Of course I
brought him home.
Crowley was a welcome distraction from my latest failure. How else can I describe it?
How many ways can you say you screwed up? I lost the photo studio, plain and
simple. Bad choices, bad luck, personal issues… all had played their part and taken
their toll. In the end I could no longer generate enough work to pay the rent.
In those days I lived with my wife and children in a converted schoolhouse built a
hundred years before. I moved the equipment into the main room. We would live
upstairs. I vowed that I would never go on the street again.
I kept Crowley in the kitchen, and could hear him caw for his meal as I worked; it
seemed like he could never get enough. At first I had to pry his beak open with my
fingers and force the food down his throat. But now he crouched down on his perch,
lifted his head towards the top of the cage, trembling his wings as I squirted a
liquefied concoction of cornmeal and cat food into his gaping mouth.
Although I had stumbled with my photography, I was steadfast in my care of the

crow. I nurtured him as I nursed my sorrow. My dream was gone. Local jobs would
have to be good enough, if that’s all I could manage.
When Crowley got older he would fluff his feathers and stretch his neck so I could
scratch him. No one else could come near the cage. Quickly, I became as attached to
him as he was to me. And I felt deep sorrow that with his deformed wing he would
never fly.
As the months passed, I had begun to rebuild my business; albeit with simple product
shots and jobs beneath what I had aspired to. I resigned myself to staying where I
was, and that was okay…I accepted it. When clients were there, however, Crowley’s
increasing demands became an unwanted distraction. His chirping and cackling was
acceptable, but at times he would emit ear-spitting calls that interrupted my
concentration and created an unprofessional atmosphere.
When spring came, I built a cage for him out in the back from chicken wire and two
by fours. He took to it readily. He stayed on his perch most of the time, but would
hop down to the ground to get his food and water. Many days he would flap his
wings even though he never left the ground.
I began to take him out and see if I could get him to fly. He would beat his wings and
jump up a foot or two. “C’mon Crowley,” I said. “You can do it.” He tried and he tried,
but inevitably he gave up and hopped back to his cage, following me as a baby duck
follows its mother.
But Crowley kept trying. He would stretch his wings, get a running start, and then rise
a few feet off the ground. Then he would try again. His urge to fly became
irrepressible. He ran and jumped and flapped and jumped, and jumped and flapped
again. In time he was able to lift a little, and then one day he made it to the low
branch of a tree in our yard.
It was fall in CT, and sometimes at that time of year hurricanes passed through. On
this day there was stillness in the air before the howling winds came. By now, Crowley
roosted in the tree in our yard. During the day he picked at apples and berries and
whatever he could find.
I hadn’t seen him for two days when the wind began to build; and I became deeply
concerned. Going outside, I called Crowley’s name. There was no response; I was sure
I had lost him. But then there he was, high in the air, flying stronger and more
confident than ever, and approaching the safety of the forest. Despite the obstacles,
and among countless failures, Crowley had learned to fly.
And me, I did as Crowley did. I began to challenge myself with my work. I set up
photos that expressed how I felt. I developed new techniques. I began to experience
success on a bigger scale. Within a year I had left the house and opened a studio on
lower Broadway in Manhattan.
I find it strange and wonderful that a crow would have inspired me to do the
impossible.
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The importance of culture.
Richard Muller · Answered Dec 15

Can anyone in recent time be a successful physicist while being
somewhat isolated from the physics world (for example: Einstein
being in patent office)?
Richard Muller · Dec 15
Prof Physics, UCBerkeley, author of "Now—The Physics of Time" (2016)
It is very difficult. Let me give an anecdote from my own life that illustrates why.
Back (way back!) in 1970 I was visiting Russia (then part of the Soviet Union). I gave a
talk at the Dubna science institute, on elementary particle detection, but at the end I
was besieged by questions about gravitational waves. I told them about Joe Weber’s
experiments, his claims, and how his experimental apparatus worked.
I was then told, “No, no, we know all that. It’s in his papers. We know that.”
“Then what do you want from me?” I asked.
“Do people believe him? Do scientists in the US and Europe believe his results?”
I was startled by this question. ButI think I equally startled myself with my answer.
“No, they don’t. Most scientists, including me, believe that his analysis is flawed and
that he has not seen any gravitational radiation.”
Indeed, everyone in the US and Europe, at least all of the top physicists, believed that
Weber was fooling himself by biased interpretation of his own data. Those who had
visited his laboratory (and that includes me) realized that he was not taking the care
necessary to separate random noise from actual signal. That opinion had been passed
around in lunchrooms, meetings, and casual encounters. But it had not appeared in
print.
I’ve thought about that a lot. Back then, scientists in Russia were not allowed to travel
abroad, at least, most weren’t. They were isolated, and so they had to get all their
information from papers and articles. And, equally remarkably, none of those articles
spoke candidly about the distrust of Weber’s work.
Now, many decades later, it is clear to everyone that Weber did not see gravitational
radiation. Back in 1970, I had done some good. I had delivered some critical
information into the Dubna laboratory that might have saved some young researcher
painful years of trying to replicate Weber’s work, only to be met with failure.
So, the bottom line: it is extremely difficult to make advances in physics if your only
knowledge comes from publications. There is a lot of scuttlebutt (gossip) that often
plays a key role in decisions.
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Harold Creech · Updated Dec 10

As a teacher, did you ever have a student submit a piece of work
that caused you to change your opinion of them?
Harold Creech · Dec 10
Former Science Teacher at Collier County, FL (2013–2016)
One student in particular comes to mind. He was a goof off in high school science
class but not a mean person. He was popular and well liked. He had dyslexia and had
a hard time reading or writing. He was allowed more time for tests and work because
of his dyslexia. He was maintaining a C+ in the class. He was acting up in class one
day so I asked him if he had any idea what I was covering that day. He said sure Mr.
Creech. So I asked him to explain the material. He did so… very well. After class, we
talked. He said he could remember and understand almost everything anyone said.
He just could not read or write worth a darn. From then on, I gave him oral tests. They
were as hard as the written ones but he aced them and got a final course grade of A.
He turned out to be one of the brightest kids I ever taught. He signed up for a couple
more classes from me before he graduated and I spoke to his other teachers about
the best way to teach and assess him. At graduation, he and his parents told me how
much they appreciated my extra efforts with him.
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Jisha Sen · October 27, 2019

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He ran advertisements in newspapers back in the day.
Sofia Fatehi · Updated Nov 30

What are common scams in India?
Sofia Fatehi · Nov 30
Kind Hearted person | Love to help
Looting students in the name of Best Education.
Do you know this man?
Yes! he is Arindam Chaudhri, the director of the Indian Institute of Planning and
Management (famously known as IIPM). His institute once advertised providing full-
time BBA, MBA, and courses like other B-schools. But it was a scam and rather a big
one.
The scam finally came to an end, credits to this man:
He is Maheshwer Peri, founder and chairman at Careers360. It was due to his

undying efforts and the will to find a logical end that the scam got exposed
Maheshwer Peri on how he won the legal battle against IIPM's Arindam Chaudhuri
In September 2014, acting on a public interest litigation, High court censured IIPM
and Arindam Chaudhuri for misleading students. The court noted that IIPM was
promoting an impression that it had recognition from a foreign management institute
—International Management Institute (IMI), Belgium. The court found that in fact IMI
had been set up by Arindam Chaudhuri and his father Malay Chaudhuri and was not
even recognized by the laws of Belgium.
(Buy Now What You MUST Buy from Amazon India in 2020? )
In July 2015, IIPM announced that it will stop offering education programmes directly,
and shut down all its campuses outside Delhi. It will operate only as a research and
training institute in Delhi.
IIPM is not recognised by the UGC or AICTE. IIPM has even testified to the Supreme
Court of India that it is not a university. Still, it runs for quite a long time charging very
high fees and not giving full time degrees or placements either.
An IIPM ex-student writes: The Truth About IIPM
Or better you can simply Google. Lots of posts are there. :)
Credits: Google and Wikipedia.
If you are a student don’t fall for any promises that an institute makes just google about
it and understand how they are performing in the market. Always look for what alumni
have to say about it.
Thanks
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Sleep patterns
Mats Andersson · Answered February 22, 2019

How much time did humans sleep when they were dwelling in the
jungles? It doesn't make sense that they would get eight hours of
uninterrupted sleep. How did we evolve to need eight hours?
Mats Andersson · February 22, 2019
Professional Translator English into Swedish (1991–present)
They have investigated this in modern “jungle dwellers”—that is, hunter-gatherers. It
turns out that eight hours of uninterrupted sleep is not the normal sleeping mode for
humans, and it’s actually both weird and wonderful:
Teenagers stay up late. Yes, even in the jungle, “in the wild”. They sleep late in the
mornings.
Old people go to bed early and get up early.
Most adults wake up at some point during the night, and stay awake for a little while,
especially if they are woken up by a small child that needs to be tended to.
The result is that there is almost always someone awake in the village! So someone is
on guard should a hungry lion arrive. Which, of course, the lions have learned about,
so they have evolved to stay away from human dwellings.
And incidentally, we need less sleep than just about any other vertebrate. On average
on this planet, it’s too dark to do anything useful for just under twelve hours per day;
most animals who depend on daylight sleep when it’s dark, and the rest sleep when
it’s light. We have evolved to make use of artificial light—fire, in the jungle. We stay
awake after dark, even though we are a very visually oriented species.
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Sleep patterns
Mats Andersson · Answered February 22, 2019

How much time did humans sleep when they were dwelling in the
jungles? It doesn't make sense that they would get eight hours of
uninterrupted sleep. How did we evolve to need eight hours?
Mats Andersson · February 22, 2019
Professional Translator English into Swedish (1991–present)
They have investigated this in modern “jungle dwellers”—that is, hunter-gatherers. It
turns out that eight hours of uninterrupted sleep is not the normal sleeping mode for
humans, and it’s actually both weird and wonderful:
Teenagers stay up late. Yes, even in the jungle, “in the wild”. They sleep late in the
mornings.
Old people go to bed early and get up early.
Most adults wake up at some point during the night, and stay awake for a little while,
especially if they are woken up by a small child that needs to be tended to.
The result is that there is almost always someone awake in the village! So someone is
on guard should a hungry lion arrive. Which, of course, the lions have learned about,
so they have evolved to stay away from human dwellings.
And incidentally, we need less sleep than just about any other vertebrate. On average
on this planet, it’s too dark to do anything useful for just under twelve hours per day;
most animals who depend on daylight sleep when it’s dark, and the rest sleep when
it’s light. We have evolved to make use of artificial light—fire, in the jungle. We stay
awake after dark, even though we are a very visually oriented species.
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Beautiful work.
David McPhee · Updated October 9, 2019

How do therapists deal with a client who doesn't trust anyone?
How do you show your client you're trustworthy and safe and that
it's okay to open up and let you in?
David McPhee · October 9, 2019
Former Consultant, Expert Witness, Ph.D. Psychologist
I DIDN’T SEE BRAD’S FACE UNTIL THE THIRD WEEK OF THERAPY
Brad was 14. I met with him twice before I ever saw his face. His foster dad brought
him on the instructions of the social worker. She thought he was depressed due to
“separation issues and abuse.” Foster dad reported Brad was superficially obedient
but passive, talked in monosyllables, and stayed by himself.
The first two weeks Brad appeared all in black, with noisy chains hanging from his
belt. His hair was long enough to hide his face if he kept his head down, especially
with the oversize baseball cap. I’d lead him back to my office, invite him to sit.
I STAYED AS DISTANT AS POSSIBLE AND SET CLEAR BOUNDARIES
I kept myself very cool and distant and sat about 10 feet away. I was worried warmth
would scare him if the recent abuse had confused caring with sexual attention. I
didn’t even use his first name. Just “Ok, so it looks like we’re going to be sitting here
for about 45 minutes. You can play with any of the puzzles or games, or just sit and
relax. I’m going to stay over here in this chair.” I hoped clear physical boundaries and
rules would comfort and reassure. I’d ramble on about nothing, but stay emotionally
distant.
THE BREAKTHROUGH WAS “YOU’VE GOT A LOT OF CHAINS.”
I figured I’d wait until there was some kind of invitation from him, though I’d toss out
trial balloons. One landed. After a long silence, and after he’d started playing with my
big plastic globe with lights and beeps when you got a ball in a cup, I said. “You’ve
got a lot of chains.”
He said “I had more but the foster guy took some away.” I literally itched to say “Must
have pissed you off” or something brilliantly empathic. I just did a “hmmmm.”
That, of all things, was the breakthrough. The kid started to talk, and pretty soon
raised his head and I saw his face for the first time.
THINGS GOT BETTER FAST
After that I was able to start doing standard teenager therapy, tracking,
acknowledging, still not getting too close. He actually got pretty chatty.
At about session 7 or 8 Brad showed up with a haircut, no cap, and only one chain. I
barely recognized him in the waiting room.
The therapy lasted about a year, and we worked through most of the issues that were
tormenting him.
With this kid, there was safety in a very cool and distant adult who wanted nothing
from him, and in a few weeks he’d stepped into that safe place and started doing his
work.
Dr. David McPhee does not provide psychological or other health-r … (more)
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What you say vs what you mean.
Alex Cooper · Updated October 14, 2019

What are some things British say vs. what they mean?
Alex Cooper · October 14, 2019
Copywriter
“That’s one way of looking at it.” Translation: “Have you sustained a recent
head injury that’s rendered you incapable of coherent thought?”
“Not too bad, thanks.” Translation: Could be either: “I’ve just won the
lottery, married my soulmate and discovered the cure for the common cold”
or “I’ve found out my wife of 30 years was secretly a lizard, the kids aren’t
mine, and a tree fell on my car.”
(After someone bumps into you) “Sorry.” Translation: “Watch where you’re
going, you moron.”
“Fancy a pint?” Translation: “Fancy seven pints?”
“We should catch up sometime.” Translation: “Please just make sounds

that indicate approval of the idea, without taking it further.”
(At the end of a haircut when they show you the back of your head) “That’s
great, thanks.” Translation: Could be either: “This is the best haircut I’ve ever
had in my life” or “Oh well, guess I’m going to the barber’s again tomorrow.”
“With all due respect” Translation: “With absolutely zero respect.”
“Alright, you fat c**t?” Translation: “You’re my best friend.”

“How was your weekend?” Translation: “Please just say: not bad, thanks.”
“Wow, you must be so proud.” Translation: “You have an average child.”
“Well, I’m hardly an expert but…” Translation: “I know I’m right, stop
being wrong.”
“I’m in a spot of bother.” Translation: “I’m bleeding out of every orifice.”
(Someone walks through a door you held open without acknowledging you)
“You’re welcome.” Translation: “I hate you with the fire of 1000 suns.”
(In an email) Regards, Translation: “Go f**k yourself with a broom handle.”
203 comments from Michael Masiello, Lou Grant, Barbara Robson and more
Jisha Sen · September 29, 2019

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Thank you!
Suraj Kumar K · Updated September 29, 2019

What are some photos which deserve millions of likes?
Suraj Kumar K · September 29, 2019
RTM TLT at Concentrix (2011–present)
Possibly One Of The Greatest Rescue Stories Ever!
Bears can be very scary animals. They are extremely large, their claws and teeth are
sharp, and they are a lot faster than you think they would be for their size. Black bears
can get up to 6 feet tall and can weigh anywhere between 200-600 pounds. That’s a
pretty large animal. Black bears are often seen in the United States, but when this
bear was seen in Florida recently, it had all of the residents worried.
There was a big black bear that recently showed up in a neighborhood in Alligator
Point, Florida.
Wildlife officials knew they didn’t have a choice, but to shoot it with a tranquilizer
dart. That’s when things started going horribly wrong.
Once the bear was hit with the tranquilizer dart, it became confused and began to
panic.
It then ran into the ocean and began swimming out further into the Gulf.
So Adam, a biologist, did the manliest thing ever.
He jumped into the ocean to save the bear from drowning.
The bear had lost its ability to move its legs.
Adam then swam about 75 feet with the 400 pound bear to shore.
Even though the bear was having a hard time keeping its head up, Adam never gave
up in the rescue.
Adam finally got the bear out of the water.
He only suffered a couple scratches in the heroic rescue.

Once the bear was on land, the Osceola National Forest team used a tractor bucket to
transfer the bear back to the forest.
He didn’t hesitate once to save a 400 pound bear that could have easily had him for
lunch. Instead, he jumped into the large ocean, swam out to the bear, then swam
back to the shore with the bear, all to save its life.
What a hero!
Source : buzznick.com
Thank you! God Bless!

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Thank you!
Suraj Kumar K · Updated September 29, 2019

What are some photos which deserve millions of likes?
Possibly One Of The Greatest Rescue Stories Ever! Bears can be very scary animals.
They are extremely large, their claws and teeth are sharp, and they are a lot faster
than you think they would be for their size. Black bears can get up to 6 feet tall and…
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A feel-good, happy life story. Not traditional at all.
Cate Cook · Updated October 8, 2019

Did you ever have to explain to your kids why they have two
moms or two dads?
Cate Cook · October 8, 2019
Ex-journalist, now self employed
No, but my two boys often had to explain to their teachers that they had two Mums
and two Dads! And often they were not believed…but it was true!
Added to this, they had to demand four tickets to Presentation Nights (not the usual
two), and four chairs at Parents’ Evenings!
The reason is that my husband and I separated (very amicably) when our boys were
aged 10 and 12 years old. There was a 28-year age difference between us, and when
married we promised each other at least a decade together.
When the decade was up, it felt right that we should go our own separate ways: my
hubby reached retirement age, and wanted a partner in her mid-late 60’s who he
could eventually retire and travel with.
On the other hand, I was still in my late 30’s, at the height of my career, and still very
ambitious with much left to achieve.
We decided to go our own separate ways, but remain best friends. I bought a house
about 500 metres from our marital home, and our two boys had bedrooms and toys
in both houses. They were free to come and go to either house as they chose, and
often did, riding their bikes between Mum’s house and Dad’s house.
My ex and I communicated frequently, and divided up parenting chores according to

which parent could do the task best (eg. I’ll take him to football practise, you take him
to the dentist). Things were very amicable and worked out well.
At first the boys tried the ‘divide and conquer’ technique, saying things like: “But Dad
lets me stay up late, so I’m not going to bed now.” They tried, but it didn’t work. One
phone call to their Dad would get him on the phone to the errant son, saying: “You
know that’s not true - you have to be in bed at 8pm whichever house you are in. Now
apologise to your Mum and go to bed immediately!” That soon put a stop to their
little games!
So two years passed, and both my (now) ex and I felt ready to start dating again. I
would iron a shirt for him prior to his date, wave him off and wish him good luck. He
was always hopeless at using an iron - but he could build a house from ground up!
LOL! I would have the boys at my place when he had a date, and vice versa.
We both found new partners, and re-married within a month of each other, five years
after our divorce. He chose well. His new wife shared my values, and we never had
any jealousy or parenting issues.
So as each Parents’ Night at school rolled by, all four of us would rock up to eagerly
hear our sons’ progress. We did get some strange looks from teachers when they
asked: “Who are Bobby’s parents?” - and all four hands would go up! We got some
confused looks from some parents and teachers alike.
On one memorable occasion the teacher asked - “OK, well who are the biological
parents?” My ex’s wife immediately volunteered: “I’m the evil step-mother.” To which
my husband quickly added: “And I’m the evil step-father.” We all had a good laugh
over that one! My boys didn’t know whether to be embarrassed or proud that they
had such ‘double’ support at their schooling events. It didn’t seem to bother them.
They always laughed it off, and just said: “I’ve got four parents - two Mums and two
Dads.”
Now, almost 20 years later, my ex is in his mid 80’s, but is still the best Dad any son
could ask for. His wife is still in good health, and they’ve had a good retirement
together.
Both my sons are well-balanced and happy souls. Now in my mid-50’s, I’m hoping to
be a Grand-Mother soon. My sons tell me they had the best childhood any boy could
ask for, and they love all their parents dearly. We’re all still very close.
We never had to explain to our kids why they have two moms and two dads.
They just knew.
And they knew it was OK to have four parents!

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This answer showcases prejudice in societies all over the world.
Raakhee V. Menon · Answered September 18, 2019
What does prejudice look like?
Raakhee V. Menon · September 18, 2019
Philosophy is one of my favorite subjects
Remember Nina Davuluri? The American girl of Indian origin who shocked the world
when she won Miss America back in 2013?
Sooooo pretty!! But what I remember are the embarrassing few days that followed
her win. Twitter went bat-shit crazy. No exaggeration there! Take a look at these
exceptional ‘gems’…
What the WHAT??!!!! I was (still am?) at a loss for words… or feelings… if this isn’t
‘prejudice’ of the highest order, then I don’t know what is. Ms. Davuluri is a very
beautiful girl and shame on anyone who chose to judge her in whatever way they did
in those mean tweets and reactions.
But this isn’t an isolated incident. Prejudice and ‘supremacy’ has been rampant in the
world from the beginning of civilized society. ‘Civilized’…yeah right. What an irony!
It looks a lot like this…
Remember the ‘you can’t buy class’ series of tweets from the esteemed Ms. Hopkins?
Whyyy? Why the hate? Why the prejudice? They are two very different women
married to two brothers… both for love. And you chose to hate on one of them just
because she isn’t 100% White? FFS, we’re humans… not Targaryens!
A sign at a park somewhere in Pakistan.
Replace the word ‘Indians’ with ‘Mexicans’, ‘Chinese’, whatever. You’ll find plenty of
those if you look at historical pictures from the colonialist era.
Ah! The ‘Colored’ days of America.
Prejudice against black women… is this insane or what?!
Prejudice against the girl child in South Asia. A matter of shame for the entire
subcontinent!
This is an actual photograph of a family having dinner in a restaurant in Pakistan while

their maids stand at a respectable distance away holding their baby for them.
I have personally seen this horrifying sight even here in the middle east. ‘Cruelty’
would be too gentle a word for this type of treatment of a fellow human being just
because they depend on you for their daily bread.
These people need to have the word ‘SHAME’ spray-painted on their front doors >:(
EDIT (19.09.2019)
Here’s one more example. Former Indian minister for women and child development
spotted browsing a menu at a restaurant, while her ‘maid’ stands obediently by the
side. Talk about irony!
Thank you Sri Ram ( ) for sharing this image.

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Jisha Sen · August 27, 2019

Jim Hogarth · Answered August 27, 2019

What innocent movie had bad unintended consequences?
Winnie the Pooh. Yeah, that’s right: believe it or not, this bundle of fluff has caused a
bit of trouble overseas. In China, a viral meme spread comparing their leader with
Winnie the Pooh: Afterward? This wound up becoming the most censored image (more)
of…
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Jim Nieberding · Updated October 13, 2019

What characteristics do octopuses have that no other animals have?
Oh, I could rattle off the obvious ones. Eight arms/unmatched camouflage/uncanny
intelligence/ and masterful escape artist, but the big one is the way they think. No
other animal on Earth thinks like an octopus. Here’s why. First, let’s review how we…
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Sean Kernan · Answered August 21, 2019

What happy endings happened after the movie ended?
Who could forget the iconic scene from Free Willy that is shown right on the cover:
When trappers are closing in to bring Willy, a large killer whale with a curved fin, back
into captivity, he jumps over the rock embankment, escaping into the wild. Followin…
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Raktim Gogoi · Updated August 17, 2019

What is something that needs to be said?
Raktim Gogoi · August 17, 2019
Student
1. The stomach gets scared when you do not have breakfast in the morning.
2. The kidneys are afraid when you do not drink even 10 glasses of water in 24 hours.
3. The gallbladder gets scared when you do not sleep by 11 o'clock or do not wake
up by sunrise.
4. The small intestine gets scared when you eat cold and stale food.
5. The large intestine gets scared when you eat more fried and spicy foods.
6. The lungs get scared when you breathe in smoke because of cigarettes.
7. The liver gets scared when you drink alcohol whatever quantity it might be; eat
heavy fried food, junk food, or fast food.
8. The heart gets afraid when you eat your meal with more salt and cholesterol.
9. The pancreas gets scared when you eat more sweet because of the taste and free
availability.
10. Eyes get scared when you work on mobile and computers in the dark.
And most importantly,
11. The brain gets scared when you inculcate negative thoughts.
Take care of the parts of your body and do not scare them.
All these parts are not available in the market. Those available are very expensive and
probably cannot be adjusted in your body. So, keep your body parts healthy. Do all
kinds of activities that helps you stay healthy.
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David S. Lesperance · Updated August 18, 2019

What’s the most condescending thing you’ve heard a first
class/business class passenger say on a flight?
David S. Lesperance · August 18, 2019
Advisor to HNW & Highly Mobile seeking to minimize tax
I wrote this as a rebuttal comment to the incident that Bethany Nelson experienced, but
as it seemed to have struck a chord, I have copied it below.
I’ve put in a lot of miles on business (and when upgraded) first class on BA, Lufthansa
and Emirates. Like you I travel for comfort. Nothing torn or dirty, just comfortable. I
no longer wear a watch since my millennial nephew asked why I would spend money
on a single function device if I had a smart phone.
I once sat next to an older gentleman in first class who was dressed in the same
manner and introduced himself as “Chuck”. He wore a Timex watch (retails at about
$50 USD) which I noted because I used to wear the same model when I was training
for triathlons. I mentioned it to him and he spent a few minutes proudly showing me
the features like an alarm clock that he liked (so he didn’t have to figure out hotel
alarm clocks).
We got to talking and he casually mentioned that he had been upgraded too. He said
that he thought that buying first class was a waste of money but if they were going to
upgrade him for free, he didn’t have a problem. We chatted away about children, and
he asked me what I did for a living. When I told him, we got to talking about strategic
philanthropy, which was a topic on which he seemed to be quite passionate. He asked
for my card and I helped him retrieve his very beat up basic black rollaway from the
overhead. We had to stand aside for a moment as another first class passenger
dressed like the lady you encountered, pushed past us. She clearly felt entitled to be
the first off the plane. Chuck and I just rolled our eyes and let her past.
A few days later, I got an email asking if I had discovered a book of his in my carry on.
I went and checked my bag and sure enough found that I must have scooped it up
with all of my stuff. After emailing that I had found it, he asked if I could courier it to
him, as it had been a gift from a family member. When I googled the name and
address he sent, I was delighted to discover that “Chuck” was the subject of a book.
I hope in your legal career that for every ten snooty types you meet, you meet at least
one “Chuck”.
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Antti Vanhanen · Updated Jan 26

How do I find motivation to do anything when I feel hopeless?
Antti Vanhanen · Jan 26
Transformative Coach / I write to think out loud
Joseph Campbell had a great quote about this:
“If you are falling, dive.”
So many of us naturally resist our negative feelings.
But all that accomplishes is prolong them. Our resistance locks them in place, because
we have turned them from something fleeting and fluid into something solid and
permanent.
So rather than resist your hopelessness or lack of motivation, embrace them.
Dive into them.
Forget the stories they are trying to tell you and what they mean and simply dive in.
When you are resisting your feelings, you are falling.
When we have fallen, we are simply resisting the inevitable.
“What did I do wrong?”
“What should I do now?”
“I should have done something differently.”
“I don’t want this to happen.”
In that state of resistance, we are powerless, because we are not grounded in reality.
We are resisting the very thing that is happening, that is here in this very moment.
We are powerless.
Yet the moment we dive into the feelings, we begin to discover that they aren’t as
bad as they thought they were.
We realize that those feelings don’t actually have the ability to hurt us.
They’re just uncomfortable, and they’re uncomfortable because we don’t truly know
them.
When you embrace the discomfort, you begin to find comfort there. Your desperate
desire to escape ceases.
In its place you find peace. Love. Curiosity. Joy.
From a place of peace, the world looks different.
It is no longer a gauntlet you need to survive, but a meadow filled with a plethora of
different sensations and experiences that come and go.
In that meadow, free of the burden of escaping and chasing, you become free to
naturally express your deepest self.
Just like life all around you.
The only obstacle is your resistance to what is happening, to reality.
Embrace reality, my friend, and find your peace.
It hurts not to.
Returning back to Joseph Campbell, here’s how he put it:
“We're in a freefall into future. We don't know where we're going. Things are changing
so fast, and always when you're going through a long tunnel, anxiety comes along. And
all you have to do to transform your hell into a paradise is to turn your fall into a
voluntary act. It's a very interesting shift of perspective and that's all it is... joyful
participation in the sorrows and everything changes.”
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Dushka Zapata · Updated August 14, 2019

What major things are happening right now/things one should be
aware about?
Dushka Zapata · August 14, 2019
Author. Introvert. Wanderer.
Last week I attended a big, crowded yoga class.
The teacher began by saying that for many people yoga is a healing practice. That he
wanted to dedicate the class to this: an effort directed at mending what was hurt,
sprained, wounded or broken.
This can be a physical injury, he said, or a non-physical one like sorrow, anxiety,
loneliness.
In this class, pay special attention. Take care of yourself. Be loving towards yourself.
And send particular care towards whatever you need to heal.
Now, place both hands on where that place is for you and let’s take a few deep
breaths.
At this point I sneak a peek. I open my eyes and slowly pan the room.
I’d say 97% of the people in the room had placed both their hands over the left side
of their chest.
This is what I want everybody to know today: tread very carefully as you move
through the world. Think twice about what you plan to say and do.
Pretty much everyone you come across is desperately trying to mend a broken heart.
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Jisha Sen · July 20, 2019

Well written personal experiences of a mediator.
Silence and Spiders at a 10-Day Vipassana Meditation

Course
Should you do a Vipassana meditation course? I was new to…
Legal Nomads · June 10, 2019
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Avun Jahei · Updated July 1, 2019

Why do we have this crazy heat wave spreading across the
continents (June 2019)?
Avun Jahei · July 1, 2019
A few years ago something creepy happened, that did not get media coverage, but it
changed the planet we live on: the weakening of the jet streams.
This is what they used to look like:
Now it is more like this:
This is a direct result of the fast warming of the Arctic. The jet streams are slower now
and have a greater amplitude, meandering around the globe. In the northern
hemisphere there is more heat exchange with the polar regions now, which causes
extreme cold spells in - otherwise shorter - winter. And there is also more heat
exchange with the tropics, causing extreme heat waves in summer. The air masses
stay longer in a region, so the hot weather, once there, lasts on and on. Or, as the
image above puts it, “weather systems tend to stall”
Also, this is an El Niño year. Such years are always hotter than the previous years. Add
global warming to that rule and you get another hottest year on record.
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Jisha Sen · June 23, 2019

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Charissa Enget · Answered June 18, 2019

Upvote
What · 2.6K have Share
cultures weird· 9 birthday traditions?
Charissa Enget · June 18, 2019

Mechanical and Energy Engineer. Lived in rural Thailand.
While I stayed in the Karen Hill Tribe, my guide told me about the day he was born.
He said that every child has his umbilical cord cut when they are born and planted
with the seed of a tree. When that tree grows, it becomes their tree for a lifetime.
I asked him if he had a picture of his tree, but sadly, he did not have one with him. My
guide was 29 years old as was his tree.
Also, when each child is born, they are given a chick. That chick grows up to be their
chicken. It is never killed and is free to live out its days, it never makes it's way to the
dinner table.
Unfortunately chickens only live to be about 3 years old, so he did not remember his
chicken. But each family keeps an eye on their children's chicken with each birth until
they die. When their chickens die, they do not get a new one.
I'm quite jealous of their traditions. I'd like to have a tree that was the exact same age
as me. How fun would it be to watch your tree grow throughout your life?
My Karen guide, Daro.

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Matthew Bates · Answered June 10, 2019

Teachers, what do you wish your students understood about
teaching/learning?
Matthew Bates · June 10, 2019
Teacher (2009–present)
I teach students ages 11–14.
I do not assign seats for my students, most of the time. I urge them to “sit near
people who won’t distract you.” I explain to them that it’s okay to sit away from your
friends for the 45 minutes you’re in my class. It doesn’t mean that you’re not friends
anymore. It means that you want to focus on the lesson.
Most students just end up sitting next to their friends anyway and, predictably,
several of them miss parts of the lesson, because they were distracted by the people
next to them. Their grade suffers as a result and, since here in Chicago, the best high
schools are selective, a single bad grade in middle school can ruin your chances of
getting into the best high school. A student can derail their education for years to
come because they were afraid of offending their friend in seventh grade by sitting
away from them for a class period.
Teachers, what do you wish your students understood about teaching/learning?
When you’re young, friendships are fickle and very few of them will last into
adulthood. Your education, on the other hand, is permanent and can help your adult
life tremendously. Don’t let your social life derail your education! The world has
enough adults who were on the right track in life until they let a friend lead them
astray… a friend who’s long since left their lives, but they’re still living with the
consequences of that friendship.
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Nina Mason · Answered June 5, 2019

What has been your most valuable thrift store find?
Nina Mason · June 5, 2019
Thrifter, dumpster diver, and yard saler for over 20 years.
Not a thrift store, but a secondhand bookshop.
I was looking for old mystery novels—the kind of 1950’s cheap pulp crap that never
even hits a second printing. I didn’t find any, but I did find a couple of Agatha
Christies, so I went to check out.
The shop owner was unpacking a new box from somebody who’d gone “you can
have the whole thing for five bucks, I just want it gone.” She’d set aside one book
about the same size as an adult woman’s hand, a nasty little grubby thing that looked
like it might have a bad case of mold. I was curious, so I asked about it.
Her reply: “I don’t think I even have a place for it on the shelf. It’s going to sit forever.”
I bought it for 50 cents and took it home.
There was no title page, and neither my mom nor I recognized the work in it, so my
mom—now also curious—bought a baby toothbrush and spent a lot of hours teasing
the dirt off the cover with the barest amounts of water and a lot of paper towels. Just
one word for a title: “Essays.” But now we knew what the cover looked like—not
grunge black, but a pretty tan and green—so she started doing research.
First edition of Emerson’s Essays, as confirmed by the cloth color on the cover and the
lack of a title page.
BUT WAIT.
You think that’s the find of a lifetime. And for someone else in another bookshop, it is.
But here’s the thing. There were TWO first editions of Emerson’s Essays. A binding
error led to the release of a few hundred copies with about 20 pages missing, and a
couple of others upside-down. These error copies were quickly destroyed, barring
those that had already been purchased, and the current going price for such a copy
was several hundred dollars, possibly as much as a thousand—as opposed to the $50
or so garnered for a “first” (corrected) edition.
My mom and I read this on an appraiser’s website and stared at each other, barely
daring to breathe. I asked if she’d looked. She said no. “You bought it, you look.”
I picked it up and flipped to the page numbers indicated. Missing—but that wasn’t
good enough. Pages can be removed. I had to confirm the other error, too.
I flipped the pages—so, so carefully. I was shaking. I looked.
I gasped so loudly you could have heard me three counties over, dropped the book,
caught it, and set it down like it was made out of glass.
And that’s the story of how I paid our mortgage AND electricity for a month for just
fifty cents.
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An optimization problem that can be solved using high school mathematics.
Alon Amit · Updated Mar 8

Alex Song and Jisha Sen upvoted this
Math question: You are allowed to take as many (positive) whole
numbers as you want that add up to 20, and then multiply them
together. What is the biggest possible result you can get?
Alon Amit · Mar 8
PhD in Mathematics; Mathcircler.
20 ? Why 20 ? That’s a number both boring and small. Imagine that we are allowed to
take as many whole numbers as we want that add up to a trillion, and then multiply
them together. What is the biggest possible result we can get?
Of course, I don’t really mean a trillion. What I mean is N , an arbitrary positive

integer. We need to maximize the product of some whole numbers (positive integers)
adding up to N . Yes, we will solve infinitely many versions of this problem, not
merely the one with 20 .
In school, many of us learn techniques for solving optimization problems using

derivatives. There are several obvious problems with such an approach here: the
unknowns are whole numbers, rather than real numbers; we have an unknown
number of unknowns; and if you are early in your study of calculus, you may be
unsure how to maximize a function of several variables.
There’s an approach to this problem that I won’t spend too much time on but is
worth mentioning: you can try to ignore some of these problems. Imagine the
numbers are real, instead of being positive integers, and imagine that you do know
how many there are. What happens then?
You may be able to deduce that the best way to maximize a product given a fixed
sum is to make all variables equal. So, if you decided to have k numbers, the maximal
product will be (N /k)k . All that’s left to do is find the optimal k , which is a fun
problem in and of itself. You can once again ignore the fact that k is an integer; for a
real variable, this is maximized when N /k = e , Euler’s constant. Our incorrect
approach seems to give us a clue: we want the numbers to be close to e . This turns
out to be correct, although we don’t know that yet.
The actual, successful approach is simply to consider small, local changes. Here’s what
I mean by that.
Suppose someone claims that they have the best list of numbers which add up to N ,
“best” meaning having maximum product, of course. Could that best list possibly
include a 17 ?
You may be thinking, sure, why not? Here’s why not: if your buddy says they have the
best list and it has a 17 , you can immediately make a better list by replacing that 17
with an 8 and a 9 . Did you change the sum? Not at all. 8 + 9 is still 17 . Did you
change the product? Yes, and you can see exactly how: the product used to be
something times something times 17 times blah blah, and now it’s something times
something times 72 times blah blah. That’s much bigger!
Conclusion: the number 17 cannot possibly be a member of a winning team. Is that a

special feature of 17 ? No, of course not. 53 can’t be there either, nor can 12 or 7 or
5 . If you have any number x which is at least 5 , you can replace it by the pair
x − 2, 2 which keeps the sum intact but increases the product from having an x to
having a 2x − 4 . This 2x − 4 is more than x (because x is at least 5 ) so the

replacement pays off.
We’ve made tremendous progress: the optimal solution, whatever it is, must comprise
exclusively 1 's, 2 's, 3 's and 4 's.
Wait. Do we really need 4 's? Any 4 can be replaced by a pair of 2 's. That doesn’t
change the sum, and although it doesn’t improve the product, it doesn’t hurt either.
Whatever the optimal solution is, it doesn’t need to have any 4 's.
And of course, we don’t want any 1 's, too. I mean, if N = 1 then we have no choice,
but for any larger N , keeping any 1 's around isn’t a mark of high intelligence. Any 1
along with some other x can be replaced with an x + 1 . Same sum, larger product.
So: our optimal product is made up exclusively of 2 's and 3 's. Remember when we
said that the best thing to do is stay close to e ? There you go.
Now, how many 2 's and how many 3 's do we want? Here’s the final key observation:
if you have 2, 2, 2 , you should replace them with 3, 3 . The sum stays intact but the
9
product just increased by a factor of 8
.
So we are allowed to keep some 2 's around, but not too many: at most two of them.
Everything else should be a 3 . Once again, glimpses of that mystic e , closer to 3 than
it is to 2 .
So do we want no 2 's at all? Or one of them? Or two? Fun fact: we don’t need to
figure that out, since N forces the number of 2 's. If N is divisible by 3 , the number
of 2 's cannot be one or two: it has to be none at all, or three, or six, and so on; but
we already know that three 2 's are useless, so we simply need none.
Similarly, if n leaves a remainder of 2 upon division by 3 , we will want a single 2 ,

while if n leaves a remainder of 1 upon division by 3 , we will need two 2 's to make
the sum work.
That’s it! We’ve solved the problem in complete generality: the maximal product of
positive integers whose sum is N is obtained as follows.
If N = 3m , take m 3 's to obtain a product of 3

m
.
If N = 3m + 1 , take (m − 1) 3 's and two 2 's, to get

.
m−1 4 m
4 × 3 = ( ) × 3
3
If N = 3m + 2 , take m 3 's and a single 2 to get a product of 2 × 3

m
.
For the original problem with N = 20 , the maximal product is therefore

2 × 3 = 1458 . If N = 100 , which is how I usually ask the question, the maximal
6
product is 4 × 332 . And if N = 1012 , a trillion, the maximal product is

4 × 3
333333333332
. You can even determine the largest possible product for a bunch
of positive integers whose sum is googolplex.
That’s all – we’ve just solved an optimization problem involving an unknown number
of integer unknowns!
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