<p>the other answers were: “make a game out of a serious question”, and “[do something] for those closest to us” and the third one (the one I put) i forget</p>
<p>Regarding the bluffing, I said that it was to deny the existance of a distasteful alternative (something like that).</p>
<p>bluffing, i put to deny the existence of the alternative, or something along those lines. since they didn’t want to think of themselves as inactive, etc.</p>
<p>Honeyhazel - yup I said pronouncements.</p>
<p>Yeah, that was it jsn. i put that too.</p>
<p>I didn’t put that because it was “troubling alternative.” Not being “macho” (as the author put it) isn’t troubling.</p>
<p>zeta, what did you end up putting? i put troubling alternative because nothing else seemed to fit.</p>
<p>not pronouncements, the alternative thing. i don’t agree with pronouncements. pretty sure it was seeing the future more clearly</p>
<p>what was the answer to the question:</p>
<p>a^x+y=a^5+x</p>
<p>what is a^y</p>
<p>why wouldn’t it be improving upon the past? since thats what elections are about?</p>
<p>i believe the answer is a^5 ?</p>
<p>elections and commencements are about the future. new beginnings.</p>
<p>but not making proclamations about the future? just trying to make a change from the past, right?</p>
<p>Honeyhazel - because the article talked about being confident about the future, which I guess is where the “clearer vision” answer is appropriate. As for the math one, y = 5 so a^y is a^5</p>
<p>1) on the issue of the “pronouncements” one…I DID put pronouncements of the future because the entire passage was about how we are unable to do this. The passage did admit that we can take small “glances” into the future, however, and that eliminated one of the choices some of the people are putting up as ‘right’ in this board. Again, pronouncements is right.</p>
<p>2) On the issue of the “troubling alternative” question, I DID put this because the text implied that we tell ourselves we have to move forward “with space rockets and blabla” instead of being idle and appreciative of the present. The “alternative” is troubling to those engage in the rapid-pace movement into the “future”…but it isn’t troubling to the author. I put it was troubling, however, because the question was geared around what the bluff meant to the blufer…not the author.</p>
<p>not proclamations about the future, after an election, or a new beginning/commencement, people feel like they have an idea of how the immediate future will go</p>
<p>zipcode: I put “intimidate others”, though now that I think about it, you’re probably right about troubling alternative.</p>
<p>I hated that passage. Is there any way it is the expirimental one?</p>
<p>right after it says that, it goes into the whole thing about how we can’t see into the future. it’s not the pronouncements thing.</p>
<p>What was the answer to invade, colonize, suburbanize?</p>
<p>Zetafunction, I remember two plausible answers as being either “what technology is going to be used for” and “a reflection of the previous course of human history”. I chose the latter.</p>