So true. And to develop the argument further, why are so many geeks insecure and nervous, as they then must be, assuming the OP is correct?
I think it's because they are smart. Smart minds make a lot of internal noise, commenting loudly on every experience, making it harder for geeks to 'hear' their own finer feelings, including conscience. This makes them nervous, insecure and guilty. The guilt is unbearable, and they unconsciously attempt to project it onto other geeks with things like condescending feedback.
However, the good news is that there is a minority of geeks who have broken through this barrier, e.g. by meditation. They are a formidable sect, possessing both Bene Gesserit and Mentat powers.
I think you've nailed it by considering the carry-overs.
With the new method there's less opportunity for error. The old way, there are two sets of carry digits: those arising in the initial multiplying, then more in the final adding up (though not in the example given). Sometimes I would try to remember them; sometimes I would write them down in various places; frequently I forgot or muddled them up somehow.
Another benefit is: the new way gives you a sense of the magnitude of the final answer more quickly. Approximations are useful. Contrast with the old method which begins by multiplying the least significant digits.
This incessant competition for grades between children, deliberately inculcated by adults, is tragic. Done in the name of education, it has nothing to do with a love of knowledge. It is part of the schooling tradition: a set of memes surviving purely for its own sake, with a huge amount of suffering and worry generated as byproducts.
In a life worth living, success doesn't comes from doing the same old thing a shade more quickly than the next guy. It comes from cooperation and from building a niche in which one can thrive.
Sleep may be more important than food but, interestingly, there seems to be a relationship between sleep and food. When fasting, less sleep is required. However, when sleep is curtailed, there is a greater desire for food.
I think it's because they are smart. Smart minds make a lot of internal noise, commenting loudly on every experience, making it harder for geeks to 'hear' their own finer feelings, including conscience. This makes them nervous, insecure and guilty. The guilt is unbearable, and they unconsciously attempt to project it onto other geeks with things like condescending feedback.
However, the good news is that there is a minority of geeks who have broken through this barrier, e.g. by meditation. They are a formidable sect, possessing both Bene Gesserit and Mentat powers.