As a non-mathematician, this is a pretty neat read. I was distracted by the personification of the numbers though (they have 'likes' and 'preferences', which in

As a non-mathematician, this is a pretty neat read. I was distracted by the personification of the numbers though (they have 'likes' and 'preferences', which in my day-to-day vocab are concepts applicable only to things that possess the ability to think). Is this common in mathematical writing, or is this paper an abnormality in that sense? (I don't mean to nitpick - I'm genuinely curious. I recall seeing the same thing in high-school chemistry, but never in physics, for example, and I'm curious if entire fields see this effect or if it's a product only of the audience being written to).