Maturity of Field

A graph depicting when it is the optimal time for a student to enter a field. The optimal point occurs when the number of textbooks is low and the potential for contributions is high.

As soon as that textbook market saturates, you’re toast.

15 Jul 2019

Search History

A search history for a physics student, including a lot of trigonometric identities and electromagnetism textbook answers.

Sooner or later, I’ll probably commit those identities to memory.

12 Jul 2019

Field Horizon

After a certain number of years, the speed at which the "edge" of a field recedes from view exceeds the speed at which a student can catch up.

Maybe then we will start dropping students into the middle of a field without making them learn all of the history.

10 Jul 2019

Deadlines

A student tells their professor that they are not good with deadlines, and follows this up by getting something done way earlier than expected.

I may be the only one who really follows this pattern.

08 Jul 2019

Simple Case

A student looks for the full treatment of a subject, but every resource they consult only deals with the easy case.

If only someone already did the research for me but hasn’t taken the time to publish, I could then get this done a lot faster!

05 Jul 2019

Putting In Numbers

Two students discuss their homework. One complains that they needed to do a lot, but the other says that they needed to to actually put in numbers, which is infinitely worse.

What are we, barbarians?

03 Jul 2019

Reaching

A student is rock climbing, and can't reach the next rock. A metaphor for authors jumping in their steps.

You just need to do a small little jump, it’s no big deal.

01 Jul 2019

File Formats

Two people discuss the fact that civilization will have records of everything in the future. One of them isn't too worried, since file formats will ruin everything.

Quick, make sure you keep backups of the programs that run your specific files!

28 Jun 2019

Hidden Personality

A student reads a textbook that takes a strange turn: "You have now been initiated into the exclusive club of epsilon pickers..."

Can you figure out what textbook this came from?

26 Jun 2019

Stages of Problem Solving

The ten stages of problem solving: delusion, complication, exploration, confusion, disillusion, desperation, temptation, frustration, apprehension, celebration.

Inspired by the beautiful work done by Grant Snider from Incidental Comics. May my art someday look as good.

24 Jun 2019

To the past To the present