Happy Pi Day
Happy Pi Day, everyone!
Yes, it's that time of year again, 3.14.
If that's not enough of a reason, it's also Einstein's Birthday. :)
Comment by Adam:
How very geeky :) I love it!
Death to Whitey
No, we're not talking about any social friction in the US. Whitey was the original male of three mice that spawned my adorable mouse colony.
He passed away yesterday, ostensibly from cancer. Poor guy - at least he had his sons to keep him company.
Why Are Humans So Bad With Statistics?
In light of a recent contest win, I am reminded of statistics, and the very human tendency to think of luck going in 'streaks', praying for good weather, and the strange rituals that purport to help one's home team win.
I'm not totally immune to such feelings. My head can override my heart, but it's interesting that the emotions are still there. I think that may provide a clue to the mystery.
Early Honeymoon?
I just got a call yesterday from the folks at Garnier, with a message to call them back...
Kuhn's Scientific Revolutions
Science has its share of philosophers. Sometimes, they have a remarkable amount of insight. One such philosopher is Thomas S. Kuhn, who is responsible for the remarkable The Structure of Scientific Revolutions back in 1962.
The thoughts still stand out freshly today.
The Reed Sea
I'm always one for finding natural explanations for 'miraculous' phenomena, especially when some pieces of the original meaning get lost in translation.
I came across this link about the parting of the Red Sea.
Not all such things have to have a natural explanation. There are many myths which have grown over time - so by all means, investigate, but there's no need to take a list of miracles as a checklist where all items must be answered :)
Review Impostors
Folks who pose as reviewers pretending that they would normally rate something highly, but that the material was such a travesty/so insulting/so unconvincing that they have to give it one star/zero stars if they could... just piss me off...
Windows XP: Grudging Respect
Yesterday, I had a pretty weird experience with Windows XP that gave me a bit of grudging respect for the OS, despite my general distrust of things that look like Lego but aren't :)
Neutrinos Instead of Quarks
Every now and again, I run across peoples' pet theories that are actually pretty interesting. That doesn't make them right, but they're often good thought-provokers, and can point out a few spots where current theories fall down.
Brian DuPraw's theory on how subatomic particles may be made up of neutrinos, not quarks, is one of the more interesting ones.
Science: A Long Way To Go
It makes me shake my head to hear that we think we're close to solving the ultimate questions. We're not there. We're not even close. I think that's a good thing. Yet I see some signs of stagnation, in thought and in funding.
Kinjo Sushi & Grill
We were invited out to dinner at the last moment tonight - to the Kinjo Sushi & Grill. We weren't sure what to expect, but it was an unexpectedly pleasant surprise.
Low-Carb Winners & Losers
Since it takes a while for some low-carb products to make their way up north of the border (if ever!), we made a small order from Netrition. Here's our household consensus:
Constantine
Link: http://constantinemovie.warnerbros.com/
Ever since Tim Burton's rendition of Batman, "serious" translations of comic book to silver screen have become increasingly common. The Hulk, X-Men, Spawn, Spider-Man, all have eschewed the Adam West-in-spandex approach to comics, to get at some of the serious themes underneath. The tortured heroes have always been the most interesting.
