Can a corporation send out bunches of these things and still make them seem spontaneous?

Well, yes - if you consider a random number generator able to produce "spontaneous" results. But really, they should key it off the only truly random thing we know of - atomic decay of atoms.

Quick poll: Good idea or not?

I agree with Sue. It's a good idea until you get found out as a lame-o.

Well, yes - if you consider a random number generator able to produce "spontaneous" results. But really, they should key it off the only truly random thing we know of - atomic decay of atoms.

If the cat is dead, send flowers in his stead.

are the first two the tired-mother-of-four and the perfect-housekeeper-whose-hair-doesn't-move?

Yup. Longoria's the world's shortest supermodel, and Teri Hatcher is the flake.

I've never gotten flowers, so one reflexive reaction to that business is yay! Pretty things! (They recommend sending them to her work, too) And they have a panic button in case you've fucked up, you can say how badly, and scale the flowers appropriately.

On the other hand, it's like you're pretending to be a sweeter guy than you are.

I think the sentiment "You deserve to randomly get sent flowers, but I am personally too much of a flake to remember to do it" is a nice one.

Huh, I'd think that service would backfire most times in a "You don't care enough to do it yourself" sort of way.

Huh, I'd think that service would backfire most times in a "You don't care enough to do it yourself" sort of way.

I'm gonna weigh in with "depends on the recipient."

Anyone know why a^p = a in Z sub p when p is prime? Or anything about division of polynomials?

Yup. Longoria's the world's shortest supermodel, and Teri Hatcher is the flake.

Thanks. It'll probably fall through a hole in my sieve in, like, 15 minutes, but that doesn't change the "thanks" part.

I've never gotten flowers

Me too, but I think it's much less common here than in the USA, and if at all, then in "flowers for shabbat", not strictly in the romantic sense.

On the other hand, it's like you're pretending to be a sweeter guy than you are.

Well, it is a step after putting a note in your calendar or something like that, for the not-remembering people among us (see above, re: sieve).

[Edit:

anything about division of polynomials?

Emily, sorry, I only know how to do that sort of division, nothing about the theoretical aspects that are actually "math".]

I agree with ita -- Felicity Huffman and Marcia Cross were deserving -- the rest not so much.

Also, I think that GA is more a comedy than a drama. I think that Elizabeth Heigl as well as Sandra Oh could have been nominated in the comedy sections.

Emily, sorry, I only know how to do that sort of division, nothing about the theoretical aspects that are actually "math".

Still worth the thinking! The question, should you have the time and feel like going, "Hmm, wonder why..." is this: if you divide f(x) by (x-a), why is the remainder always f(a)? It's sort of obvious why this is true for f(a)=0, but even when it isn't it's true, and I'm racking my brain as to why. It's gotta be something simple in the division algorithm, but my exhausted, Turing-filled brain can't figure it out.