2014-02-25

A six-panel comic. A blue-skinned genie tells a red-haired woman she has three wishes, the only rule being she can't wish for more wishes. She games the rules step by step: first she wishes that each wish be considered separately (genie: 'Okay'), then that wishes be calculated in absolute value (genie: 'I don't see why not'), then she wishes for 'a thousand fewer wishes' (the genie stares, wide-eyed). Because of the absolute-value trick, negative-a-thousand wishes counts as a thousand wishes. An exhausted, now long-bearded genie says, 'This is why no one likes mathematicians,' and the woman replies, 'This is one reason why.' Votey: a close-up of the woman looking intense and sly, demanding, 'Now, make P=NP.'