One summer I tried to learn about Abstract Algebra by reading a book titled Abstract Algebra. The language was so stuffy, I would laugh out loud, and my roommates would look at me like I was crazy. The only thing funnier than actual mathematics are math jokes, especially in combination with bad puns.
A farmer discovered his horse was extraordinarily intelligent. You could ask it an arithmetic problem, and it would tap out the answer with a hoof. Researchers were fascinated and tested the horse. They discovered the horse understood algebra, Euclidean geometry, calculus, and even group theory. However, when they gave the horse problems with Cartesian coordinates, it just stood there dumbly, like any horse. This was quite surprising, given how intelligent the horse was otherwise. They brought in an expert who examined the situation and explained the problem: “Of course the horse cannot understand any Cartesian coordinates you show it. You are putting Descartes before the horse.”
From a New York Times op-ed piece from March, 2007:
The Bush administration’s assault on some of the founding principles of American democracy marches onward despite the Democratic victory in the 2006 elections. The new Democratic majorities in Congress can block the sort of noxious measures that the Republican majority rubber-stamped. But preventing new assaults on civil liberties is not nearly enough.
The article lists the following tasks that Congress must accomplish to restore health to our democracy:
Have they managed to do any of this? And is anyone even paying attention to these issues any longer now that the economy is suffering?
Josh Millard did some experiments and set up an online exhibition of polyrama, individual images that may be recombined in any order the viewer wishes to produce a new picture. These images remind me of war gaming boards that a friend of mine had in the eighth grade. These boards had a honeycomb structure and could be recombined on all four sides. The roads and other features would match up between the boards.
It’s an interesting idea to add randomness to an environment this way. But there are also applications of this in the realm of characters, such as monster mix and match books for kids or the eBoy Peecool toys.
For a typical residence, the cost of installing a one kilowatt (1,000 watts) solar photovoltaic system—the smallest considered practical—is between $6,000 and $10,000. Austin Energy will rebate $4,500 ($4.50 x 1,000 watts) of that.
