LMD Async Tutoring

LMD · May 18, 2025, 11:08pm

I’ve got a number of threads that I feel the need to reply to but I’m also a bit stuck on each of them.

I’ve had a few stalled attempts at replying to each of them. I’ve ended up being avoidant.

This seems like a recurring thing. I read back over recent advice you’ve given and notice I haven’t really taken it to heart:

Elliot:

LMD:

I think because it’d be largely unhelpful, for others? I’m not sure actually I didn’t think too much about it.

Why unhelpful?

I think people like stuff to engage with that is less perfect or intimidating, and like examples of posting stuff that is less impressive which makes it feel easier for them to post their own flawed stuff, and also people like a more active forum.

Lots of people have disorganized thoughts and struggle to organize them. They may find it easier to organize some of your thoughts than their own (since they aren’t already stuck on your problems) or to find some parts of your thoughts that make sense to them. If two people share disorganized thoughts, they could potentially both help each other and point out some improvements with the other person’s thoughts.

I often find it hard and unpleasant to reply to things if I don’t just think of something to say quickly. I haven’t really learned to just try posting some stuff even if it’s bad or incomplete. I have some resistance to that I think.

Perhaps if I’m stuck, instead of replying to things directly, I could analyse what is in the post that I’m considering replying to.

For example you posted:

Elliot:

LMD:

After reading the MFDM article, I realised one of my confusions with this problem was that I didn’t know if y and x were or weren’t of the same dimension. They weren’t defined. But now I realise in math it’s just standard to assume x and y are of a different dimension; they are unlike terms after all. I’m not sure why this happened.

Yes x and y represent different dimensions in general. But also, where did x and y come from? They symbolically represented and generalized stuff from the economics discussion. So what were the actual factors originally being talked about?

Milton Friedman and Maximizing Profits

Like I think they should maximise profits and care about other things too like, making a great product/service, being a great place to work for employees.

x = profits
y = great product/service
z = great place to work

I’m guessing you already know whether those are the same dimension or different dimensions.

What does the post contain? what might I reply to? what new things might I add? Where could this go?

brainstorm:

You quote a comment of mine.
You confirm something in it that I realised (that x and y in general represent different dimensions).
You ask a question and answer it.
You point out that the maximising problem corresponded to the economics problem we were talking about.
You state that you think I already know whether they are the same dimensions or not.

Hmm I don’t know if this helped. Maybe with some different ones it could.

I think I’ll post what I got stuck with on the mfdm article shortly. But going back to the original topic, I’ll answer your questions.

No there are problems.

Some things start off okay but then I get stuck and then I end up with something that I don’t think is worth posting (it’s usually like half done and seems weird to post, like I’d be missing the point of what I’m replying to or ignoring it or something). Then I try move on to something else and think I’ll go back to it but then it’s kinda the same because I guess I haven’t changed anything. I guess I’m hoping some new thoughts occur to me but they usually don’t. Sometimes I’ll do an explicit thing like brainstorm but it doesn’t usually help.

Not particularly busy no. I’m stuck on some stuff. And I’m struggling with organisation a bit.

No I think I have enough to do. But

It’s hard to tell because I think my interest depends on whether I’m having trouble or not.