This video explaining the basics of chemical reactions may be the definitive educational document of the YouTube Era.
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Shoup on Algebra
Victor Shoup has written an introductory (abstract) algebra textbook that emphasizes the algorithmic aspects. The best part? You can download it here.
Via God Plays Dice.
Spam Must Go On. It Will Go On.
I happened to check the spam filter, and discovered that our spam is getting depressed, but has determined to persevere. Today’s spam included this comment:
I have become my own version of an optimist. If I can’t make it through one door, I’ll go through another door – or I’ll make a door. Something terrific will come no matter how dark the present….
The Internet attributes the sentiment to Rabindranath Tagore.
Stolz-Cesaro Theorem
Topological Musings has a post up about a cute little result, the Stolz-Cesaro theorem. The result is a discrete analogue of l’Hôpital’s rule.
Via God Plays Dice.
RSS Reader
Does anyone have recommendations for an RSS reader for Firefox? On my old laptop I used Sage, which was okay, but since I’m reinstalling everything I’m willing to experiment.
Evince Project
Now that I have this new laptop with Ubuntu, I’m using the software it came with it to read PDFs and PS files, Evince. I had never heard of the software before, but I’m fairly impressed. It does a good job of rendering pages, and (unlike Acrobat Reader) does not paralyze my browser once a day.
Next they’ll train monkeys to remember where you put your car keys
I had a pet theory that a large part of what made some people good at mathematics was simply memory. A large part of mathematical practice is remembering bits of trivia: standard counterexamples, definitions, little technical tricks. BBC News is reporting on a discovery that makes that seem less plausible: chimpanzees may have better memories than people do. Scientists compared the performance of chimpanzees and their closest relatives, university students, when tested on their ability to remember a random pattern of numbers on a screen. The BBC story comes with two videos of the chimps in action that are worth watching.
Stata Center
Shalizi on g
If you’re interested in the statistics behind g, the purported general factor that explains the results of intelligence tests, Cosma Shalizi explains all.
2007 Ig Nobel Prizes
The 2007 Ig Nobel prizes have been announced. I would say the most important discovery highlighted by the awards is that Viagra cures jetlag in hamsters. There’s nothing quite like a jetlagged hamster to ruin a fun-filled vacation.