Dealing With Stupid People [Monday, June 11, 2nd period]

[professor-lyman.livejournal.com]

Josh leaned up against a desk in the Danger Room, hands in his pocket and a grin on his face.

"President Andrew Jackson, in the main foyer of his White House, had a big block of cheese and I can't believe I'm giving this speech," he began. "He did not, sadly, have a cracker the size of Lake Tahoe. I checked. My old boss, the White House Chief of Staff, used this folksy excuse to make us all talk to total crackpots once a year and today that privilege falls to you."

He waved his hands. "Pick a desk, make yourself comfortable, the computer'll drop someone insane off to talk to you. Try not to laugh in their faces--they're all based on real people. Um, sadly."

Comments

Re: Big Block of Cheese!

[professor-lyman.livejournal.com]

"That's not our specialty! We're mapmakers. That sort of space-age pie in the sky...ness--that's some else's department!"

Re: Big Block of Cheese!

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

"It's not your job to make the most accurate and representational maps possible?" Inara folded her arms and leaned back in her chair, "I'm sorry, that was my misunderstanding of your presentation, then. Why are you here?" The wasting my time was left unsaid.

Re: Big Block of Cheese!

[professor-lyman.livejournal.com]

"We had been aiming a little more...realistically," the older man said, happy to be back on point again. "We want to suggest you use the Peters projection rather than the Mercator."

He flipped the world upside down, looking pleased with himself.

Re: Big Block of Cheese!

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

Inara blinked, obviously less than impressed. "And?"

Re: Big Block of Cheese!

[professor-lyman.livejournal.com]

"...it doesn't freak you out?" the man asked hopefully. "It normally freaks people out."

Re: Big Block of Cheese!

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

"It looks basically the same, but the geometry is different," Inara shrugged, "but I think the mathematicians are down the hall. I could get them if you'd like."

Re: Big Block of Cheese!

[professor-lyman.livejournal.com]

The three cartographers visibly deflated.

"Okay," the older one said meekly.

Re: Big Block of Cheese!

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

There were, of course, no mathematicians down the hall, so now Inara was a bit stuck. "They're a bit busy at the moment. Before I bother them, why don't you tell me why it makes a difference which inaccurate projection you use?"

Re: Big Block of Cheese!

[professor-lyman.livejournal.com]

That, of course, took another fifteen minutes of death by Powerpoint intensive slides to demonstrate exactly why they found the Peters projection to be so much better.

Re: Big Block of Cheese!

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

Inara really should have had some coffee. "That's really quite interesting. And why is this important to you?"

Re: Big Block of Cheese!

[professor-lyman.livejournal.com]

The longest ten minutes later, the older man concluded his life story with "and that's why you need maps."

Re: Big Block of Cheese!

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

"That's," mind-bogglingly boring, "definitely something worth considering, and I'll be sure to take your message to the President."