"This is a pretty long post, but with Teller's permission, I'd like to share with you the secrets he gave me 14 years ago to starting a successful career in magic." via http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3596124

"I'm a freshmen studying computer science and I already know that I want to go into academia with focus of theoretical comp sci."

"One of the most frequent questions we get in various physics forums and IRC physics channels (besides the annoying ”can anything travel faster than c?”) is the process and background of being a physics major. Often, we have students asking what are the requirements of obtaining a physics degree, and what can one do with such accomplishments.

I am hoping that, in a series of postings on this topic, we get to go over and demystify the whole process of what one can expect as a physics major in college, all the way to going through a Ph.D program, and even beyond that in the land of postdoctoral work and employment. This is not as easy as it sounds, especially considering the wide-ranging educational systems we have throughout the world. So in most cases, the perspective I will tend to have the most understanding with is the US educational system. This is where someone from another country can come in and contribute their experiences and wisdom...."

"I presented this list to my illustration class today. It was targeted to illustration but I realized it has wider applications. Simple truths I have learned over the years, many I’m sure you have heard before. I am hoping to give them some mental tools to work with as well as tools of the trade. Part of being successful is having a belief in yourself and the process. Plus, sometimes it just feels good to read a list and feel like you can do it (especially number 6). I told them number 6 is the source for all of my best ideas (wreck this journal, guerilla art kit, explorer, all were done when I was supposed to be working on other things). True story."

"A reading protocol is a set of strategies that a reader must use in order to benefit fully from reading the text. Poetry calls for a different set of strategies than fiction, and fiction a different set than non-fiction. It would be ridiculous to read fiction and ask oneself what is the author's source for the assertion that the hero is blond and tanned; it would be wrong to read non-fiction and not ask such a question. This reading protocol extends to a viewing or listening protocol in art and music. Indeed, much of the introductory course material in literature, music and art is spent teaching these protocols."

"I am now trying to figure out what I should do following the PhD. I enjoy research (a quick definition: identify problem, come up with solution, ask interesting questions, find ways to answer them, build system, experiment, contribute some new knowledge and publish). I also like teaching and supervising students. ... However, a career in academia has two significant drawbacks. First, it can be difficult to gain access to real systems with real users which then display real problems. This creates the danger that you do work that seems important (to you and maybe to some of your colleagues), but is not really relevant to anything or anyone. Second, the pay is pretty sad. Apparently, you have to sacrifice this for the privilege of doing research // I enjoy programming, but don't just want to hack some web-based system for the rest of my life. ..."

"Content from Sternberg, R. (1994). In search of the human mind. New York: Harcourt Brace."

Advice to a Beginning Graduate Student or What is Research? or The 4 R's of Graduate School: Reading, Rithmetic, Research, and Writing -- Blum

"From the comments on my last post: scott would you be so kind, if you have some spare time, to post a list of textbooks that you’ve read in math and cs?"

"Gian-Carlo Rota was one the world experts on combinatorics, and helped move the field from a corner of mathematics to become one of its central areas. Rota is famous for many other things, but his book Indiscrete Thoughts is a classic—it is a great read. Even more famous, is his list of Ten Lessons I Wish I Had Been Taught." - Lipton / He mentions Erdos, Hilbert, Feynman and ours Feller.

"In a single sentence, Umesh was communicating an entire philosophy of life: concentrate on the high-order bits."

"What do you want to see in a prospective student’s statement of purpose?" And Scott answers...

Glaser is a well-known graphic artist who came up with (among other things) the "I [heart] New York" design. It's an interesting list.