Two more anecdotes on the theme of accurate but useless stereotypical behaviour:


While in New England.
    "Have you lived here all of your life?"
    "Not yet"

While in New Zealand
    "Could you give me directions to the Ferry?"
    "Yes"


I like the ballon joke better. I once was driving to Montreal and saw there was a ferry from Vermont to New York state. That seemed like fun, and, arguably, would save time. 
I think I missed the regular ferry but got to the shore of Lake Champlain by following home-made signs for a ferry. At the shore, the sign said, that if the operator wasn't in
then pull on the string. The string went inside a trailer and soon a guy came out and said he would ferry me for $5. I agreed and drove on what looked like a raft. The car was't tied down, only the brakes restrained it. I thought it might to over the edge a few times, but it didn't. Half way ascross I looked at my map and asked the guy where was the ferry taking me. He looked as if this wasa a difficult question, but finally he said 'To the other side'


________________________________________
From: friam-boun...@redfish.com [friam-boun...@redfish.com] On Behalf Of Pamela McCorduck [pam...@well.com]
Sent: Sunday, May 02, 2010 11:08 AM
To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group
Subject: Re: [FRIAM] Palenque, Chichen Itza and Katyn

In my experience, mathematicians tell this joke on themselves.

There's another one they tell:

Two guys in a balloon dip down to a field to ask a farmer where they
are. The answer comes: You're in a balloon. The one guy says to the
other, He must be a mathematician. The answer is absolutely correct
and absolutely useless.


On May 2, 2010, at 10:51 AM, John Kennison wrote:

  
Just a note --I've never liked that old saw about the black cow --
mathematicians are always working with generalizations. Scientists
are the ones who claim to be working strictly with observations.
________________________________________
    


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FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
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============================================================
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
  

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FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org

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