Did you ever stop to think that maybe everything we know is wrong? What if we have a flaw in our thinking at such a basic level that we can’t even see it? Where would that leave us?
In that vein, allow me to prove that 2 equals 1:
a = b
a2 = ab
a2 - b2 = ab - b2
(a + b)(a - b) = b(a - b)
a + b = b
2b = b
2 = 1
There you go. Our mathematical system is fundamentally wrong.
Or is it?
Kudos to the first person to explain this simple mathematical proof in a way that anyone can understand…
I hesitated to post this, since now I won’t be able to impress anyone who actually reads this blog, but it’s too cool-looking to not share.
Make your business card disappear (by folding it back behind your fingers):
I found it interesting to see how exactly it was done. I had figured that it was behind the fingers, but assumed that it was just pinched between two fingers, and was the magician was dangling it behind his hand, full-length, so to speak. I hadn’t realized that you could bend it to make the card hew closer to your fingers and make the illusion better while also maintaining better control of the card.
Also note the clever use of misdirection, as he waves his hand like a maniac.
(From Wired’s series of how-to wikis.)
While researching my last post to defend Ulysses S. Grant from the currency-whitewashers who wish to remove him from the U.S. $50 bill, I came across this neat site that shows you everyone on every piece of American money.
From the penny (Lincoln) to the $100 (Franklin) most of them were at least semi-familiar. But then I started getting into the really high-denomination stuff.
I knew that there used to be $1,000 bills, for example, but $5,000 bills?
$10,000?
$100,000??!?
Yup, the $100,000 bill, featuring Woodrow Wilson, was real paper money. Mostly, the high-value bills were used in transactions between banks — and the $100,000 bill was strictly intra-governmental. Now that there are electronic cash transactions, the need for such currency has faded — and so have the big bucks.
That doesn’t mean we didn’t have some fun while it lasted. How’d you like to be entrusted with a $10,000 bill, for example?
How’d you like to lose it?
That’s what happened to a messenger boy in 1910 in New York.
Click here to read the rest of the story. For the record, $10,000 in 1910 would be worth approximately $233,495.25 today. At least, according to Tom’s Inflation Calculator.)
Photo of T. Keith, with the two graphic novels he'll be handing out on Saturday, by Grant, but courtesy the Brandon Sun.
Free Comic Book Day!
What a great concept for a holiday (of sorts). Every year since 2002, the first Saturday in May (May 2, 2009) is Free Comic Book Day — a day in which participating retailers give away FREE comic books. Selected titles only, of course.
This sounds too good to be true! Free comics? Why on Earth would anyone do such a thing?
According to my research (read: Wikipedia), there are three main reasons for Free Comic Book Day:
In other words, it is a huge marketing event. Yet - FREE COMICS! And it seems to be effective. How else could you explain the more than 2,000 retailer participants from over 30 countries in the first six years of this event?
You can check the database at Free Comic Book Day to find a participating retailer in your area. Or, you can call around to see who is taking part. (I know that at least two retailers are doing something in Brandon and neither is in the online database at that site.)
I know, I’m not American — but I have a special relationship to American money. Some of it, anyway.
You’ll notice that’s Ulysses S. Grant on the $50 U.S. bill. Yup, that’s my name — Grant — on the $50.
My full name, for the record, is Grant Andrew Hamilton. And who’s that on the American $10 bill? Why that’s Alexander Hamilton, first secretary of the Treasury! That only leaves — oh, my goodness! Look at the twenty! Andrew Jackson, hello there!
Yes, I’m apparently named after the $50, the $20 and the $10 American bills. I suppose that’s better than being named after Canadian money. (Looks like I’d have been called “William Elizabeth Macdonald.” Shudder.)
Anyway, my never-fail, gimme-a-$50 ice-breaker might be going down the tubes. There’s a movement afoot to turf old Ulysses S. off of the bill! Say it ain’t so!
You seem like a swell guy (and happy 187th birthday this week!). Your plainspoken dignity helped define what America wanted from its Midwesterners. Your beard—well-kempt, but vital and robust—was perhaps the Platonic ideal of 19th-century Federal facial hair. You weren’t nearly as awful to black and American Indian people as a lot of your contemporaries—or as your critics urged you to be. And, heck, you saved the Union on the battlefield and, as president, saved it all over again by keeping postwar tension from boiling over into Civil War II.
So grant Grant all of that. But as the face of the $50? It’s time for Grant to go.
As the architect and face of the Union victory, Grant was the obvious popular choice when he ran to succeed the train wreck known as the Andrew Johnson administration. As a steward of the economy, however, the 18th U.S. president was a disaster in ways that are eerily familiar today. On Grant’s watch, a housing bubble, a tech bubble (of a railroad-y, 19th-century sort), market manipulation, government corruption, cronyism, overleveraged lenders, and the sudden popularity of new, unregulated financial instruments turned a postwar boom into a deep depression that makes the Great Depression seem full of itself.
They even note that his negative influence extended to language: “The word Grantism was coined to describe systematic corruption and greed.” Ai-yi-yi!
Still, I say there’s no good reason to only have positive people on the currency. What is this, Utopia? People learn more from their mistakes than from their successes — and the same should go for nations. Leave Grant alone!
The Stand was always one of my favourite Stephen King books. I’m a sucker for the post-apocalyptic. Now, I’m not the first one to take the “Ooooh, flu pandemic” and equate it to the mythical Captain Trips from that book, but all I did was make a few pointed comments.
You have to admire people who go to the trouble to set up Twitter accounts for Randall Flagg and for Abagail Freemantle, though!
(tip of the hat to Hacks and Wonks)
(Go ahead and click on the animation to see it full size. It’s my first-ever animated gif!)
Buzz Aldrin makes his historic walk on the moon. But what if he hadn't been able to leave again?
On July 20, 1969, nearly forty years ago, Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong became the first two men to land on the moon. It is, undisputedly (faked moon landing conspiracy theorists notwithstanding), one of the most important moments in the history of mankind. If one thinks about it now, four decades after the fact, it is still quite a remarkable feat.
Aldin and Armstrong landed the Lunar Module Eagle (hence the famous line “…the Eagle has landed…”) almost wihtout a hitch and ascended from the lunar surface nearly without incident. Nothing went perfectly, but everyone on the Apollo 11 mission made it home safely.
Yet, it wasn’t a safe mission. Everyone was prepared for every eventuality, including President Richard Nixon.
For the past forty years, a memo from Bill Safire, Nixon’s speechwriter, to White House chief of staff Harry Haldeman, has been sitting quietly in an archive. This memo is entitled “In the event of Moon disaster” and includes the speech the President would have made had Aldrin and Armstron become stranded on the surface of the moon.
Nixon would have addressed the nation and, by association, the world with the following speech:
Fate has ordained that the men who went to the Moon to explore in peace will stay on the Moon to rest in peace.
These brave men know there is no hope for their recovery but they also know that there is hope for mankind in their sacrifice.
These two men are laying down their lives in mankind’s most noble goal: the search for truth and understanding.
They will be mourned by their families and friends; they will be mourned by their nation; they will be mourned by the people of the world; they will be mourned by a Mother Earth that dared send two of her sons into the unknown.
In their exploration, they stirred the people of the world to feel as one; in their sacrifice, they bind more tightly the brotherhood of man.
In ancient days, men looked at stars and saw their heroes in the constellations. In modern times, we do much the same but our heroes are epic men of flesh and blood. Others will follow and surely find their way home. Man’s search will not be denied but these men were the first and they will remain the foremost in our hearts.
For every human being who looks up at the Moon in the nights to come will know that there is some corner of another world that is forever mankind.
Thankfully, it was not a speech that the world had to hear. Yet, I’m glad that it survived in the archives in order that my generation and the ones that follow can better understand the danger and the importance of an event that seems to have abandoned the public imagination in exchange for the dry pages of history texts.
Photo by National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry
There isn’t a lot of commentary needed for this site: Photos that changed the world.
Be warned - there are some powerful images that may not be suitable for all viewers.
Personally, I was familiar with most of the photos I saw. Either I had seen them before, or I had heard of/read about them in one way or another.
In any case, this collection of photos is a testament to both man’s (and I use the gender-neutral form of the word) cruelty and accomplishment.
Unfortunately, it seems to tip more to the cruel side.
Cincinnati's own crime-fighter: Shadowhare!
Patrolling the streets of Cincinnati fighting crime, stopping injustices and protecting the innocent is Shadowhare. His identity hidden by a mask and costume, this is a real guy trying to be a real hero.
From this article:
“We help enforce the law by doing what we can in legal standards, so we carry handcuffs, pepper spray … all the legal weapons,” said Shadowhare. “We will do citizen’s arrests. We will intervene on crimes if there is one happening in front of us.”
Why do superheroes always look cooler in the movies and in comics? Oh yeah, because they’re not real and are much more unlikely to get the living tar beat out of them.
Don’t get me wrong, I can appreciate what this kid is trying to do. He’s trying to make a difference and improve the world and all, and that’s admirable. And I like the idea of real-life costumed heroes, sort of. I’m a little uneasy with real-life vigilantism. It seems like the thin edge of a very dangerous wedge. Plus, Shadowhare looks like a bit of a dork.
I wish I could say that he is one lone individual with delusions of grandeur that has watched one superhero movie too many. But I can’t.
Shadowhare is not alone in his quest to fight crime. He heads up a group of men — and one woman — called the “Allegiance of Heroes.” The members communicate with each other in online forums. Among the members are Aclyptico in Pennsylvania, Wall Creeper in Colorado and Master Legend in Florida.
“I’ve even teamed up with Mr. Extreme in California — San Diego — and we were trying to track down a rapist,” said Shadowhare.
Yes, my friend. Rest easy. The Allegiance of Heroes is watching out for you.
Maybe this appeals to you? Maybe you would like to be a costumed superhero, protecting your neighborhood or community at large? How would one go about doing something like this?
Luckily, in this day and age, you can find almost anything you can image on the Intarwebs: World Superhero Registry and Real Life Superheroes. Here you can find all the information you might need about becoming a costumed superhero.
If you are going to venture out onto the streets as a caped crusader, at least have a professionally made costume.
I can’t endorse this idea and it worries me a little. At the same time, however, I can’t help but be a bit titillated by the whole thing.
Does that make me a bad person? A super-villian, perhaps?
by Amy Breen
And everyone knows it, but nobody says it, because they’re pregnant.
At least that’s what musical-comedy duo Garfunkel and Oates think! I can’t really form an opinion either way because I’ve never closely known a pregnant woman. But it’s pretty funny.
Out of Quebec comes this modestly-priced Camembert, which I picked up on a whim and decided to give a whirl. Although I do enjoy traditional out-of-country cheeses for their history, terroir and sheer snob value, it’s good every now and then to support one’s own country, to give credit where it’s due, and to see what’s just around the corner instead of always following the beaten path.
Plus, who can resist that happy Canadian cow in the logo?
Unwrapping the cheese, I noticed that the ingredients included something called penicillium candidum, which Wikipedia says is related to the famous penicillin, but not closely enough to make any difference if you’re ill. Too bad.
Despite that surprise, when unwrapped, this Camembert was a plain-looking cheese. Much like Brie, it comes in wheels that are covered in a light fungal skin.
Even when cut and placed attractively on a plate with some Vinta crackers, it looked disappointingly bland. Knowing that Camembert is a mild-tasting cheese at best — and this wasn’t a very expensive Camembert, I wondered if there was anything we could do that would enhance the flavours at all.
Noticing some miniature oranges on the table, we popped them into the background of the photo — at least the “Cheese of the Week” post would have some extra colour in it.
Yes, this was a pretty standard Camembert. For its price, if you’re going to serve a soft, wedge cheese, this is a pretty safe bet. It has a mild, salty flavour, although there are slight bitter undertones. If only we had something that could sweeten it up a little.
Hey, wait a minute!
Could we maybe try a little wedge of orange to go with the little wedge of cheese? Of course we could!
Mmmm! Delicious!
The sweetness and slight tartness of the orange — a miniature, kid-friendly variety that was like a Christmas orange — perfectly coincide with the soft flavour of the cheese. The cracker, which has a pleasant, earthy grain taste, is a great base on which to place the pairing. It soaks up any excess juice, and doesn’t interfere too much with the interplay between the Camembert’s salty/buttery flavour and the orange’s gushing sweetness.
However, the cracker is totally not needed. All by their twosome, an orange-Camembert combination is a winner.
I would also try this as a breakfast cheese, and now that I know how well it goes with oranges, I might try it on toast with marmalade.
The Camembert, sadly, was a bit of a bore. But paired with the orange, I can’t recommend it more highly. Sometimes, you just get lucky.
I have no reason to post these videos except that they are jaw-droppingly cute, and they remind me of my cat, and I love cats, and isn’t that reason enough?
by Amy Breen
An NYU student by the name of Nyle has been making the rounds on the web for his version of the Lil Wayne song “Let the Beat Build.” The video is really cool because it was shot all in one take with no dubbing; it was completely live. And, in the words of Gawker, where I saw the video, Nyle wrote “refreshingly optimistic lyrics about creative ambition in the New Depression.”
The song and video really didn’t grab me until the horns and strings came in, but after that it just gets better.
You can find an interview with Nyle here.
Wouldn’t it be really cool to actually make contact with an alien race? They don’t even have to land in the U.S. Midwest in their brushed chrome spacecruiser outfitted with the lastest in blinking light technology. They could just call. You know, we here on Earth could be like interstellar Facebook friends — exchanging information, telling each other about our various misadventures, chit-chatting about interests…
It would be the greatest discovery in the history of mankind (beer excepted). The media would go crazy with it. People of all races, religions and other various socio-economic demographics would be united in their awe that we are not alone in the universe…
Or would it happen like that at all? Would the first call we get from an alien race be a forgetten footnote in astronomical texts, something to be puzzled over by hobbyists and debated in a tired, disinterested manner by scientists?
Ever hear of the Wow! signal?
The Big Ear radio observatory in Ohio has spent some time listening to deep space as part of the SETI program (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence). On August 15th, 1977, a signal from within the constellation of Sagittarius was received. This signal was strong enough to push the monitoring equipment at Big Ear beyond its capabilities. The volunteer looking at the printouts of the signal wrote “Wow!” in the margin, hence the name of the signal.
The signal lasted 72 seconds at 1420.456 MHz before it faded away. It has never been repeated. Or, at any rate, it has never been found again despite repeated attempts.
Why the one-time signal? If other intelligent beings are out there looking for us, just as we are looking for them, shouldn’t they be continually broadcasting? Were we just a wrong number?
Here’s something to think about: we’re just listening. Mostly.
Ever seen the James Bond movie GoldenEye? (Hang on, I’m going somewhere with this…) It’s the one with the huge satellite dish hidden under a manmade lake. That huge structure is called the Arecibo Observatory and has an amazing story unto itself. Nonetheless, in 1974 the instrument was used to beam an encoded message towards a cluster of stars about 21,000 light years away.
It has never been repeated.
Perhaps great minds think alike?
Wikipedia’s entry on the Wow! signal has technical info and some more links if you are so inclined. The Arecibo message entry is also incredibly fascinating.
I stumbled across an interesting website yesterday. Have you ever seen this quote?
A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations has been 200 years.Great nations rise and fall. The people go from bondage to spiritual truth, to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependence, from dependence back again to bondage.
It’s semi-famous in some circles, and every now and then people email it around. Snippets of it get quoted hither and thither, and it’s often attributed to “an obscure Scotsman” by the name of Tytler.
The truth, as it always is, is more complicated — and more interesting.
Check out “The Truth About Tytler” for some great scholarship tracing the evolution of the quote.
