6 ms·

A friend of mine has both a PhD in computer science, and a M.D. He basically looks like a giant flashing single point universal problem solver for people that r

• flachsechs 9y ago
  yeah, wow. since i own a small business i just tell people i work in finance now. less questions and comments and more quiet, inaccurate assumptions of wealth and power which i am happy to let be.
  • 0xJRS 9y ago
    I have these questions about my taxes....
    • flachsechs 9y ago
      me too, my tax guy is great at that. here's his number.
• KGIII 9y ago
  I hate being introduced as Dr. KGIII. Almost invariably, I'll get asked medical questions. I'm a mathematician.
  • watmough 9y ago
    Not a real doctor then? ;-)
    • KGIII 9y ago
      That was rough! I'm really not sure why people assume it is an MD. This happens with great regularity to the point where I've long since discarded the title and ask to not be introduced as Dr. KGIII. It seems a strange assumption for people to make, and it's often people with college educations that make that assumption.
      • mgkimsal 9y ago
        > I'm really not sure why people assume it is an MD. Not sure why you're unsure. It's one of the first 'professions' people get introduced to (as kids), and that label is there. "Tell the dr XYZ", "let's go to the dr", etc. It's a "doctor's office". There's few other professions the general public interacts with with a label in front of it all the time, and it's almost always the medical one we know first, and most often. Outside of academic settings, the 'dr' title doesn't get used much except by medical professionals.
        • tyingq 9y ago
          Similar for "architect" or sometimes "engineer" in our space.
        • KGIII 9y ago
          Many of these people have spent time in academia. Surely, they encountered doctors who weren't medical doctors.
          • scott_s 9y ago
            I have a PhD, as do most of the people I see at work on a daily basis. But I still assume - even at work! - that someone introduced as Dr. X is a medical doctor.
            • KGIII 9y ago
              Someone mentioned that it may be due to our first exposure being a medical doctor and that makes some sense. I really don't know why this is. I've noticed this for years, to the point where it has even made me tired of responding that I'm not a medical doctor. You and I are probably sharing similar experiences. In both our cases, we probably have had much more exposure to doctors who aren't medical practitioners. Yet, I don't immediately think of medical doctor. Caveat, I am not sure if I used to immediately think medical doctor before I noticed the assumptions being made about me. I don't know if I assumed doctor meant medical doctor before I was exposed to the bias. I may have, but my brain doesn't function like that and I don't remember. shrugs It's been a bit of a personal mystery since 1991. Technically, probably sooner. Edit: Removed sentence that could be interpreted as a pejorative towards my ex and added nothing to the post.
  • RBerenguel 9y ago
    There's nothing that can't be solved by some version of the implicit function theorem
    • KGIII 9y ago
      I used to drink, a lot. My then wife would take me to fancy parties where we ate things I can't pronounce and I pretended to care about the appropriate cutlery. She'd introduce me as Dr. KGIII and, sure enough, I was asked medical questions. More than once have I drunkenly handed out bad medical advice.
      • NotQuantum 9y ago
        I wonder if you can get sued for malpractice if you're a math doctor. They'd need proof either way.
        • KGIII 9y ago
          I will not be baited into math puns. At HN, going off on a tangent is frowned upon.
  • QAPereo 9y ago
    “Hy doc, can you take a look at this series of moles and tell me whether or not they converge?”