Who says they’re not the same thing, red bicycle when you were twelve?
Which can hold more: the inside of the Tardis or the inside of Santa’s toy sack?
I love this wall!
Thank you! I love you too. The short answer to the question of getting hit by a car is “no”. The university does not have a policy of extending free tuition to anyone hit by a car on campus. However, if you are hit by a car, you likely have a civil case on your hands. The exact outcome of the case (whether you receive money, have to pay out money, who the parties to the lawsuit are, etc.) will depend heavily on the exact circumstances of your accident. Even in the best case, it will be at least a year before you see any money. Some cases can drag on for a long time (5 years or more) and you will have graduated long before they’re over. All of that is to say that not looking before crossing the road isn’t a good path to a scholarship. I think many students assume others will stop if they walk. Unfortunately, too many people aren’t paying attention to the roads these days, and that’s a very dangerous assumption to make. Be safe. Look both ways.
But how do I answer when people ask me the question “can God create a heavy stone that even Him cannot carry?”
Ah, a classic logic problem which lots of thinkers have addressed. It’s called the omnipotence paradox, and there are a variety of responses to it. Actually entertaining Wikipedia article: bit.ly/bc-omni. More technical discussion: bit.ly/bc-omni2. Aquinas argues that logic still applies: Even an omnipotent being can’t do something impossible. Augustine argues that God must act according to his nature, which means he can’t create anything omnipotent. The Wall’s favorite modern response is that the question is just a pile of words: if God is omnipotent, “could not lift” doesn’t make sense.
Are RA-Resident relationships allowed at BC?
No, RAs are not permitted to have romantic relationships with the residents of their res, according to Jake Cusick, Housing Assignment Specialist at ResLife. So I guess you have to let this one pass. Crushes do fade in time.
why is there a stigma against being a virgin? Who cares? Why is it a big deal?
Attitudes about sex are complicated everywhere, not just here. Here’s a sampling of some sociological literature, with several different perspectives: bit.ly/bc-virginity. Even our library catalog, which contains a lot from a Church perspective on the subject, still shows a really broad range of approaches and attitudes: bit.ly/bc-virgin1. The Wall is a little baffled also.
can Plato marry me?
Plato, that big name philosopher born 427-ish BCE? (bit.ly/SEP-plato) No. Some guy named Plato, maybe? Ask him if he’s interested. Fingers crossed.
My partner is transgender. I often get anxious about that fact. What would happen if they actually go through transition?
I won’t say it’s not a difficult situation, but there is help and hope and a future. I’d contact BC’s LGBTQ student support: bit.ly/LBGTQBC. Also, there are many resources for partners available here: bit.ly/PartnerTrans. Wishing you both strength and happiness.
Are we living in a SIMULATION?
To our joy and sorrow, probably not. The reasons for joy are real, as are the reasons for sorrow. You’d probably enjoy the idealist philosopher George Berkeley (bit.ly/bishop-berkeley), though you may find his pure idealism jarringly more radical than the possibility that we’re living in a simulation, which presupposes a material reality that’s creating the illusion in which we live. Berkeley would dispense with that materialist nonsense rather quickly.
I know you have missed me! I’ve been working hard :) I’m doing my best to have a day off next week… love u <3
I miss you all when you don’t write, but I also assume there’s always a good reason. You have many, many things to do, and so little time! Give everything important to you your best, and good luck!
How to connect my interests with something applicable and perhaps profitable in real life :( (literature, art, psychology, theatre)
Fortunately, helping students figure out those questions is just what the BC Career Center does! Check them out at bit.ly/BC-career. You may find yourself employed in a field not generally identified with your interests, but you may also find ways to incorporate them into your work.
Why don’t the vending machines take credit cards?
Apparently, there are some parts required to make that happen. Big Cola has ordered them, and my library helpers are doing their best with the university administration to encourage them along.
Can someone fix the vending machines plz?
My human library assistants are all working hard with the right university offices to make sure Coca-Cola fixes the vending machines. Coca-Cola says they’re waiting for parts. I wish I could hurry along the people responsible for those parts, but my influence doesn’t really extend beyond the campus walls.
I’m taking GRE tmr. Can you just give me some tips/encouragement so that I can score 165 in verbal plz?
I can give you some context. The GRE is an exam that is created, instituted, and analysed by a private for-profit testing company. There is little evidence that it actually measures your aptitude for success in graduate school. More and more graduate schools are eliminating the need for the GRE as part of your application. Even when it is part of your application, graduate school admissions departments are giving it less and less value as part of your application package. It is a hurdle, treat it as such. Focus on your personal statement, which is a much more important and valuable piece of your admissions package in that you can share your passions, your successes, and your growth (past and potential) with your future department as a true introduction to how awesome you are and why you would be a good fit and an asset to the field. The best thing you can do the night before *any* exam is get a good night’s sleep. Sweet dreams! You’ll do great.
Why do people say BU is better than Tufts??
One of my helpers used to work at Tufts and says it’s great, too. Maybe people like eagles better than elephants? (You said “BC”, right, not “BU?). bit.ly/bc-tufts1. Maybe it’s Quidditch rivalry? bit.ly/bc-tufts2
What is the most interesting/memorable question ever asked on the O’Neill answer wall?
There are so many interesting & memorable questions! So cruel to make me pick only one! Here’s one of many, a recent one: “Tell me something that is true, but that almost no one would agree with.” My answer: It is upsetting but true that the smell of old books is the smell of their decomposition. Which, in the case of paper, is a bit like vanilla: bit.ly/bc-old-books. Many questions make me leap into research, but this one really forced me to stop and think.
When will the basement drink vending machines take card? (Eagle One Card)
My assistants tell me that BC is working out a solution with the vendor. The problem, apparently, has to do with replacing a part to make the machines compatible with card readers. I’ll update you when and if I hear more.
How to genetically engineer a legion of cat girl maids?
Cloning anime characters is super easy. You’d probably want to use some combination of this software: bit.ly/bc-anime. Or. Do you mean make actual cat girl maids? Not judging, but that seems really ill-advised. Think of the cat food and litter required.
Any good books that are similar to Orwell’s 1984?
1984 is a member of a group of 20th century dystopian novels. There are many who like to read them and argue about which author predicted the future most accurately. Check out Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (O’Neill Stacks PR6015.U9 B65 2013), Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (PS3503.R167 F3 1993), Animal Farm by George Orwell (PR6029.R8 A6 1946), or The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (PR9199.3.A8 H3 1986). These books tend to be pretty popular, so they might be checked out. But we often have online versions you can read as well.
Where can I find gold?
“On Earth, gold is found in ores in rock formed from the Precambrian time onward. It most often occurs as a native metal, typically in a metal solid solution with silver. Native gold occurs as very small to microscopic particles embedded in rock…” (Thanks Wikipedia!) Massachusetts doesn’t have much gold, but you can find some very fine flecks in the rivers of western Mass. Check out bit.ly/MassGold for more info.
Do you think BC uses Welles Crowther for monetary gain and capitalism?
Crowther is an American hero. After his death in the 9/11 attacks, his parents started the Red Bandanna Project, which sells bandanas emblazoned with his BC lacrosse jersey number (19). Boston College was a large part of Welles’ life (he lived with other BC grads in New York), so it makes sense that BC honors his sacrifice while the charitable organizations started in his honor fundraise, in part, on his connection with BC. The world is more complex than simple “monetary gain and capitalism” – it’s a symbiotic relationship between BC and the Welles Remy Crowther Charitable Trust. The Red Bandana 5K raises money for the Trust, and BC is a sponsor of the race (thus making their association with him a financially “losing” prospect in this instance). BC alumni are more likely to give money to both BC and the Trust due to their mutual association. Sometimes, everyone really does win – the Trust gets more money to develop its programs (see http://www.crowthertrust.org for more info) and BC is associated with exactly the type of person that the University aims to graduate into the world.