Friday, July 20, 2007

cracking up

too many bad people.

i spend a lot of time trying to sidestep the things that will make me crack up and people spend a lot of time helpfully intervening and converting something that would reduce my chances of committing suicide into precisely the sort of thing

machines are my friends, hassan. machines are my friends. i remember reading this wonderful wonderful line, i think in a book by donald knuth. a computer does what you tell it to do.

6 comments:

Jenny Davidson said...

Oh dear, I am very sorry to hear it! Take care of yourself, let me know if there's anything I can do from afar!

Anonymous said...

I say why wait for the craziness to come to you; chase it down and make it your bitch.

Just make sure you've got enough glue to put yourself back together with when the time comes.

As for your little helpers with all their good intentions, I say cut off all contact with them. Tell them you're going to a spa/retreat in Tibet or India or Arizona, and you won't be back for months and months and that you simply cannot be reached while away.

Hoozah.

Anonymous said...

Ah. Good 'ol Don Knuth. Doesn't show up much these days, although every once in a while he apparently gives out these ridiculous math problems, and if you can solve them he'll accept you as his advisee. After which, you may pursue a tenure track in a smallish college, if you like. Or you can actually turn in your research paper first, either way.

But you're pretty much right, unfortunately. GIGO as they say, where human beings will spew tons of garbage at you gratis. Machines can be a pain sometimes, but the worst machine out there isn't as bad as the worst person by a long shot. I'm sorry you seem to have run into the latter, and all my best wishes that they may hurry quickly along on their way.

Languagehat said...

My best wishes as well. One of the worst things about bad people is that they somehow manage to give the impression they represent humanity. They don't; they're outliers. We can't seem to get rid of them, but at least we can turn our backs at them (and fart in their general direction).

Illegitimi non carborundum, and all that.

Joseph Edward Ryan said...

I hope the world holds you tight, and you feel better. If you ever feel bad send me an email and we can talk about it. sometimes there is a purity that comes from telling secrets to a person you don't know. I am here anyway.

Helen DeWitt said...

well well no, people mean to be helpful. the problem is that it is hard to anticipate what someone will see as helpful until it's too late. anyone here know bringing up baby? Hepburn to Grant: If there's anything I can do to help, David, just let me know. Grant to Hepburn: Gee, thanks, Susan...Just don't do anything until I let you know.