Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with complex

Complex, loud, intense music please

MetaMonkey — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 12:28:24 -0800

I like complex, loud, intense, intricate music with unusual structure e.g. Venetian Snares, Meshuggah. Who else should I be listening to?

Is my apartment complex lying?

yellowbkpk — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:40:55 -0800

How come our apartment complex says they don't know when apartments will be available? Our lease is coming to a close in June and the apartment complex we're in says that they can't tell us if there will be apartments available until May.

Why don't they know? They know when all of the units' contracts are up. They require us to give a 60 day notice of vacancy (so they know if a unit will be renewing or not).

Where is the leaky faucet that would prevent them from knowing the status of their rooms? I would ask if this practice is prevalent, but the other 3 apartment complexes we talked to while looking for our next residence all said that they wouldn't know until May, either.

It seems that they would only stand to benefit by giving this information out.

Why does e^pi * i + 1 = 0 ?

phrontist — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 16:23:59 -0800

I heard about a book that covered philosophical questions at the core of mathematics. This interests me, but I'm really interested because if I remember correctly it used understanding of euler's identity as an example. What was this book?

Help me doodle pretty.

Laugh_track — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 07:08:59 -0800

DoodleFilter: How do I learn to draw intricate patterns freehand?

Finding the magnitude of complex fractions

toomanyplugs — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 11:18:38 -0800

Finding the magnitude of a complex fraction. Is it simply |num|/|denom|? Or is there more to it? Say I have a complex fraction (a+bi)/(c+di). If I need to find the magnitude of the entire fraction, can I simply take the magnitude of the numerator over the magnitude of the denominator? ie,

sqrt(a^2 + b^2) / sqrt(c^2 + d^2)

I've tried solving this in MathCAD, but the answer it gives is much more complicated than this, and I can't figure out how to work its logic through. The book I'm using doesn't go into how to solve this type of problem with the numerator != 1.

If it matters, the actual problem I'm solving (for a control systems class) is

|(iw+5)/(iw+2)(iw+4)|

but I'd prefer a method to just the solution.

I have access to MATLAB 2007a and MathCAD 13

Yes, this is homework help, but it's not homework answers. I need help in finding the analytical method

Sonically complex, well recorded 2ch music please.

|n$eCur3 — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 17:22:32 -0800

Sonically complex well recorded music in 2 channels to test my new hi-fi stereo system. So far, I've listened to... I spent a too much money on a really good pair of speakers, and most everything I listen to sounds imperfect because the speakers are quite good at exposing recording flaws. Of course I am listening to lossless music, but I need some albums that are complex, dynamic, and pristine. I am finding that most recordings before 1970 do not sound that great, with some exceptions, so I'm thinking the more recent, the better. But feel free to chip in whatever you feel fits the bill. I'm not terribly picky about genre.

So far:
Radiohead, Ok Computer - Pretty complex, but a little bright in places
Radiohead, The Bends - Not as complex as OK computer
Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon - Not really impressed
The Raconteurs, Broken Boy Soldiers - Well recorded, some complexity
Coldplay, A Rush of blood - Surprisingly well recorded, dynamic
Arcade Fire, The Funeral - Not as well recorded as I thought it might be.
Wilco, YHF - Pretty complex and well recorded.
Smashing Pumpkins, Mellon Collie - Complex and well recorded but causes listening fatigue. Very bright.
Led Zeppelin, Houses of the Holy - Pretty good considering its age, but a bit lacking.
Broken Social Scene, Self Titled - Probably the best, most complex and most well recorded album I've heard so far.

What else?

What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets.

Anonymous — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 20:51:10 -0800

RelationshipFilter (sorry!): I've become entangled in a complex 'relationship', and I'm not sure what to do... Long story:

In September 2004, I arrive at university. A few days later I meet a very attractive girl who lives in my halls of residence. Over the next week or two we become very good friends and end up spending a lot of time together, watching TV, films, chatting about other friends of ours etc. I very quickly realised I had "feelings" for this girl, oh dear. Then one night I was probably being a bit too obvious and surprisingly she said "Just go ahead and kiss me." Frankly, I hadn't expected that, I considered her well out of my league and was happy at the time to just be a good mate of hers.

So, we fool around for a few nights, but don't tell any of our mutual friends... a few nights turns into a few weeks... still not telling friends. I slept in her room many times (if it's relevant, without sex), creeping out early in the morning to avoid my other friends. I begin to get attached, uh oh. Just before the first holiday she tells me she doesn't want a relationship and we should stop doing things. I feel kinda crushed. I tell her this and end up sleeping there again...

Holiday comes and she phones me all the time, texts and tells me how she misses me and we have long conversations about 'us' on the internet.

Rinse and repeat for 2 more terms.

2nd year of university, we get closer. I still sleep with her, none of my friends know (except one), including my housemates because of our ridiculous "secrecy" thing. We've become closer, she's said she loves me, we've both shared very important things with each other and to all intents and purposes we are a couple.

Yet.

The problem is, and I've told her often enough, that I'm fed up with the secrecy. I want to be able to walk around holding her hand, or kiss her in public (shock horror). Things she'll happily do when away from our friends and people who know us!

She states that she doesn't want a boyfriend and the "baggage" that goes with it. She wants people to see her as single and not part of a couple. Yet she still wants me to sleep in her bed and be there for her.

I'm being taken for a ride, right? I should probably get out of this situation, but again, problem. I don't want to. She's one of the best things in my life, I love her to bits, and yet there's this issue sitting there driving me mad.

Opinions? Constructive suggestions about talking to her might be useful.

Thanks. (oh, and for the record, we're both around 21)

Aimless

Anonymous — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 21:42:33 -0800

I'm a 35 year old male and am smart, single and fit but find myself feeling like time is running out. Perhaps too smart; I have a high IQ, whatever that is worth, but am not a college graduate and I find I still have a bit of a complex about this despite having been gainfully white collar employed for most of my adult life. I never started college and wouldn't even know where to begin. I meet people easily and am told that I am good looking. I was 30 before I realized that I had coasted so far on charisma. With an opportunity to make a life change in the next year what should this American do? Long term and short term answers are all welcome and travel is a possibility if your answer deems it necessary.