3 ms·

This comment threw me for a loop - "L2" and "lasso" triggered the pattern recognition in my head for "regression regularization" and it took a moment to realize

This comment threw me for a loop - "L2" and "lasso" triggered the pattern recognition in my head for "regression regularization" and it took a moment to realize the topic was still orbital dynamics. Come to think of it, saying "Lagrangian" wouldn't have prevented my confusion - not that there's anything wrong with the terminology in OP. I'm reminded of a passage in Cryptonomicon, which I've been rereading: "Newton wrote a *different* book, *also* called *Principia Mathematica*, which isn't *really* about mathematics at all; it's about what we would todaycall physics." "Then why did he call it Principia Mathematica?" "Because the distinction between mathematics and physics wasn't especially clear in Newton's day--" "Or maybe even in zis day," Rudy said.

stcredzero 8y ago
This comment threw me for a loop - "L2" and "lasso" triggered the pattern recognition in my head for "regression regularization" and it took a moment to realize the topic was still orbital dynamics. Yeah. It's not the most apt choice of words.
- 789body 8y ago
  It's a fine choice of words. It's just a coincidence.
  - stcredzero 8y ago
    No one is capturing anything with a rope or cable. It's a rotten choice of words.
    - szappetx 8y ago
      For what it's worth, I'm from Texas where I see actual lassos somewhat regularly, and I perfectly understood the phrasing here. Maybe it's just a regional difference in how the word "lasso" is understood.
tome 8y ago
Off topic: That quotation is a bit strange because the full title is "Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica", or "Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy", which describes exactly what it is ("Natural Philosphy" basically being "science"). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophi%C3%A6_Naturalis_Principia_Mathematica https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophi%C3%A6_Naturalis_Pri...
andybak 8y ago
(Can you edit the fixed width formatting? It's impossible to read without horizontal scrolling)

stcredzero 8y ago

789body 8y ago
It's a fine choice of words. It's just a coincidence.
- stcredzero 8y ago
  No one is capturing anything with a rope or cable. It's a rotten choice of words.
  - szappetx 8y ago
    For what it's worth, I'm from Texas where I see actual lassos somewhat regularly, and I perfectly understood the phrasing here. Maybe it's just a regional difference in how the word "lasso" is understood.

tome 8y ago

Off topic: That quotation is a bit strange because the full title is "Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica", or "Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy", which describes exactly what it is ("Natural Philosphy" basically being "science"). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophi%C3%A6_Naturalis_Principia_Mathematica https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophi%C3%A6_Naturalis_Pri...

andybak 8y ago

(Can you edit the fixed width formatting? It's impossible to read without horizontal scrolling)