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WARNING: An acquaintance of mine, Mr.Goosepond Prhklstr Kratchinabritchisitch, has requested permission to post his questions under my username. When I asked him why he didn't do it under his own name, he gave me a convoluted answer of which I didn't understand a word (as usual with him). So, as a pure courtesy, I'm letting him ask his questions but I want to emphasize that I do not in the least endorse anything he might say. As a precaution I'm making his post community wiki, but I confess that I'm still more than a little apprehensive... Georges Elencwajg

Mr. Goosepond Prhklstr Kratchinabritchisitch's questions:

1) Why do you people continually talk of "elliptic curves"? They should just be called ellipses ( a special sort of comics) and are very easy to draw with a piece of string (I suppose that's what is nowadays bombastically called "string theory"). You can also easily study them with analytic geometry: their equation is simply $\frac {a^2}{x^2}+ \frac {b^2}{y^2}=1$.

2) Why do you hide all posts on descriptive geometry, compilation of seven decimal logarithmic tables, remarkable points of a triangle, etc: in other words the hard core of Mathematics?

3) Conversely, why so many posts on categories? Don't you people understand that they are just a fad, like the yo-yo, the hula-hoop or the computer?

4) I see many people refer to some GAGA article by a Jean-Paul Serre. Why don't grown-ups here tell this teenager to stop mentioning extravagant pop-singers ? What the FAC is coming next?

5) Why do people always talk of Dedekind's character? What's wrong with this guy?

6) I saw mentions of the Tango bundle and of the Serre twist (him again!) What's coming next: the Cauchie boogie-woogie, the Nagata salsa or the Cartan can-can ?

7) How come I couldn't find any financial statement in Forbes or the Wall Street Journal on a multinational like MO and the moguls running it? Why do investors (I'm talking to you, Warren Buffett!) tolerate this? Take the C.E.O, Mr. Geraschenko, for example: I couldn't even find out under which flag his yacht sails.

8) Why are you so afraid of acknowledging the top specialists in mathematics ?

G.P. Kratchinabritchisitch

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    $\begingroup$ I don't think this belongs here (not even today); downvotes are not mine, however. $\endgroup$ Apr 1, 2011 at 10:36
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    $\begingroup$ Nice try, but not very funny (IMHO). $\endgroup$ Apr 1, 2011 at 10:46
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    $\begingroup$ +1. Once a year, let's not take ourselves too seriously :-) $\endgroup$ Apr 1, 2011 at 10:54
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    $\begingroup$ In my opinion GPK makes a rational point on elliptic curves. $\endgroup$ Apr 1, 2011 at 11:11
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    $\begingroup$ +1, definitely a good laugh :) $\endgroup$ Apr 1, 2011 at 12:19

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Happy April Fool's?

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  • $\begingroup$ I don't think anyone could possibly believe this is a real person...but I do wonder if the name has any hidden meaning. "chinabritchi" suggests a half Chinese/British person to me. $\endgroup$
    – Zen Harper
    Apr 1, 2011 at 10:29
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    $\begingroup$ It is from James Joyce's "Ulysses" (not that I knew, I found out from google). $\endgroup$
    – Angelo
    Apr 1, 2011 at 10:32

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