Chernobyl

Wow, so I’ve never known all that much about the Chernobyl disaster that happened 28 years ago today, but I saw a mention of it on CNN this morning so I decided to look it up.

I found this really interesting documentary about it:

I probably know a lot less about the disaster than most people, but I think this documentary would be interesting to check out regardless of how familiar you are with this bit of history.

In This Blog: The Mayor of Calgary is a BAMF

Meet Naheed Nenshi, Mayor of Calgary.

220px-Naheed_Nenshi_cropped

This dude is awesome.

  • He’s an alumnus of both University of Calgary and Harvard and was elected mayor in 2010. In 2013, he was ranked as the second most important person in Canada, after the Prime Minister.
  • It seems like the vast majority of Calgarians (and even people outside of Calgary) really like him.
  • Check out what he’s done.
  • Plus, he’s freaking hilarious:

nenshitweet

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Woah, trippy

I very rarely catch any of the new Simpsons episodes on TV, but I happened to be screwing around on YouTube when I found this preview for the couch gag of the upcoming episode “What to Expect When Bart’s Expecting.”

Super surreal and trippy! I like it.

TWSB: Twist n’…uh…Twist Again, I Guess

Meet the hemihelix!

Observed by a group of researchers at Harvard, a hemihelix occurs when a corkscrewing shape changes the direction of its spiraling. These locations are called perversions (giggity) and look like the part of the spiral being pointed at by the arrow:

hemihelix-1

(Piccy from link above)

The Harvard team observed the hemihelices when they were taking two strips of rubber of different length and stretching the shorter one to match the length of the longer one before binding them together. Unexpectedly, the hemihelix shape appeared when the tension on the joined rubber strips was released.

Understanding how and why such shapes are formed might help researchers mimic the shapes of molecules that could be used in nanotechnology. Says Dr. Katia Bertoldi, associate professor of applied math at Harvard, “Once you are able to fabricate these complex shapes and control them, the next step will be to see if they have unusual properties; for example, to look at their effect on the propagation of light.”

Cool, huh?

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Blah McBlahson

Welcome to “The Universe Tries to Kill Claudia” week.

I have no time to blog about anything meaningful (do I ever though, really?). So have some more gifs.

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GIF - Kitten Pillow

 

 

Stuff

Every so often I get an overwhelming urge to buy stuff.

Just…buy stuff. Lots of it all at once.

Does this happen to others, or is it a product of 26 years of watching my dad speed-dial QVC every other day?* Either way, I feel bad when such urges surface. I don’t always act on them, and when I do I only buy two or three things at most, but still.

I actually think I just like getting stuff in the mail. Maybe I need a penpal or something.

 

*Not an exaggeration.

Wacky Peter

Throughout my childhood (and early adulthood), I was really into movie-making. I would find something that could be filmed for multiple episodes and then make a series out of it.

The most recent example, in 2006, was a series called “Wacky Peter.” It followed the adventures of one of my Lego men (Wacky Peter, obviously) and all his usually fatal adventures.

I spent hours making these videos over the summer. I hung out in the playhouse in our backyard (which was my bedroom back then) and would make recordings all day.

The reason I’m bringing this up is because I was digging through all my old VHS tapes and found the Wacky Peter ones.

Here are some of the episode titles:

a b c d e f g h i j k

The Sleepyhead Remixes are Making a Comeback!

“Making a comeback” in the sense that I haven’t downloaded any in quite some time.

And yeah, there’s only one “remix” on here, but screw it!

If his obscenely beautiful voice doesn’t make you cry, there’s something wrong with you.

Haha, unexpected mashup at the end there. Cool.

VaVaVaVacuum

1. Are you a young heart or an old soul?
I’m a middle-aged spleen.

2. What makes someone a best friend?
4 AM conversations over Messenger about whether buying an island off of eBay is a financially responsible decision.

3. What Christmas present do you remember the most?
ROCK BAND 2 HOLY CRAP.

4. Tell me a movie that has changed your life.
I don’t know if it changed my life, but Sunshine is definitely my favorite movie at the moment.

5. Name one physical feature that you like about yourself and one that you dislike.
I like my nose. I dislike everything else.

6. Can money buy happiness?
It can help *find* the way to happiness sometimes. Example: money would get me to Hanover. Hanover implies LEIBNIZ ARCHIVES. Leibniz archives imply happiness.

7. What’s more important in a relationship: physical attraction or emotional connection?
I wouldn’t want a relationship devoid of either of those.

8. Is there anyone close to you that you know you can’t trust?
I don’t really trust anyone.

9. Where was your favorite place go when you were a little kid?
Uhhhh…how little are we talking? When I was ~7 I used to build little Claudia-sized “houses” out of construction paper and Scotch tape and live in those.

10. Have you spent a night in the hospital?
Ugh, let’s not go there, eh?

11. Do you enjoy being only with 1-2 friends or with a large group of people?
The ideal group is 3 people (+ myself). Otherwise it’s either awkward or too freaking chaotic.

12. Have you ever been bullied?
Not physically.

13. If your partner wanted to wait until marriage until having sex, would you stay in that relationship?
Sure. Sex ain’t no big concern for me.

15. Out of all the social networks in the world why use a blog?
MySpace is dead, Twitter is dumb, and Facebook ANGERS ME, so this is what’s left. I was also dared to start blogging back in 2006. Don’t ever dare me to do anything.

16. What is your quirkiest habit?
Uh…I have dinner at about 11 PM. Does that count?

18. Someone close to you is dying! You have the choice to let this person live for 10 more years but if you do you cause the death of 10 strangers.
I’d ask the person who was dying what they’d want me to do.

20. When you’re alone in your own home, do you talk out loud to yourself?
I probably talk more to myself than to all other people I know combined. I also sing about things Disney-style.

21. Who is your favorite super hero?
X-Ray (and Vaaaaaaaav!)

22. Could you be in a long distance relationship?
Bro, I can’t even be in a “we live in the same city” relationship.

23. Do you know what makes you happy?
Indeed!

24. Who was your first crush?
Lead

25. Where is your favorite place to go out and eat?
Like, favorite place to go and stay there to eat (not bring it back to the house)? Uh…Red Lobster?

26. Are you an early bird or night owl?
I’m such a night owl that I’m an early bird.

29. What song best describes your life right now?
I’m Ready by AJR.

30. How do you express your creativity?
Punning. And writing and drawing.

32. Give me the story of your life in 6 words.
So much more to do still.

Swiggety swog, what’s in the blog?

Today we learned how to use complex analysis to solve real-values integrals that would otherwise be very difficult to solve.

Example:

adadada

No complex variables in sight in that integral, right (assuming x is real-valued, haha)? Well you can CONVERT THIS TO A COMPLEX-VALUED INTEGRAL AND HAVE AN EASIER TO SOLVE PROBLEM!

That freaking blew my mind this morning in class. I’d go through the details of how to do this, but I’m a lazyass and don’t want to use Word’s equation editor to make like 30 different equations showing the steps to solve. Instead, I’ll link to Dr. Datta’s notes from class. Go to page 10 in the PDF (the page labeled “161”) for this example.

FREAKING. AWESOME.

Side note: if any of you ever end up going back to UI or know anyone who will be taking some upper-division math classes there, I highly recommend Dr. Datta. She’s very clear at explaining things, good at giving examples, gives reasonable homework, and is always willing to help.

 

THIS IS SO IMPORTANT

Snagged from here.


1
2 3 4 5 6 7

 

 

FAIL

WHY AM I SO STUPID

Would a passionate speech about horology be considered a glockenspiel?

I think it would be super cool if someone came up with a cookbook in which all recipes were stupid reconfigurations of mathematicians’/statisticians’ names or mathematical objects.

Examples:

  • Fibognocci
  • Tukey Sandwiches
  • Vennison
  • Bonferroni and Cheese
  • Putnaan (“Putnam” and “naan”…anyone?)*
  • Gabriel’s Corn
  • Mandelbratwurst
  • Fig Newto—OH WAIT

I’d buy a cookbook like that.

 

*Yes, I know Putnam wasn’t a mathematician himself, but he’s got that competition named after him, so yeah. It counts.

Minecraft!

For those of you who play Minecraft on the PC: “mark nutt” is one of the best seeds I’ve found as far as super-diverse and dramatic worlds go. Check it:

dd rrr www

I built my house around a lavafall.

sss sfsfs sdfsdfsdf

Also, now I have to go watch the Mark Nutt compilation again.

How to Travel from Moscow to Calgary: An Illustrated Adventure

So here’s Calgary, right?

1

Here’s how far Calgary is from Moscow.

2

How do you think I would fly from Moscow to Calgary?

Well, the nearest international airport is in Spokane, which is here:

3

Reasonable route:

4

Would you agree?

Well, here’s how you actually get from Moscow to Calgary:

5

Dafuq, Alaska Airlines?

Also, all the layovers in SeaTac are like SIX HOURS LONG. Like I haven’t spent enough time in that airport.

(I know, I know, pointless complaining.)

BlahBla

HEY Y’ALL!

I’m super busy, but that doesn’t keep me away from StumbleUpon. Tonight I found the most comprehensive online handwriting analysis tool I’ve ever found, so I decided to try it out. ‘Cause why not?

According to the test, here’s what my handwriting says about me (parts I agree with are bolded):

To begin the analysis, the subject’s handwriting shows some rigidity and tautness, as if the forward movement of the pen has been carefully restrained. This indicates a somewhat more conformist and conventional personality than the average. The subject leans more to the conventional in dress and behaviour.

The heavy pressure used in the script indicates that the subject has an above average activity level. She enjoys having plenty to do and dislikes being delayed or obstructed. She has a need to work off excess energy in an active occupation or leisure pursuit.

The handwriting shows a few signs of a perfectionist personality. The subject may seem somewhat more orderly and methodical than the average person, perhaps being a little over-concerned with small details and fussy about trivial matters.
She will prefer to abide by the law, and perhaps appear more reliable and conscientious. She may also be undecided about the best course of action to take, and appear to have a number of self-doubts.

Certain embellishments within the handwriting indicate an above average level of worldliness and sophistication. The subject may attempt to appear more poised or sophisticated than the average person.
She may seem emotionally detached and superficial in personal relationships, even if her feelings are deep and genuine. She may sometimes appear sceptical in her approach to life and possibly has a lower faith in human nature as a result.

A number of artful simplifications in the handwriting show that the subject has an above average intelligence. She will be able to tackle a more intellectually demanding career than the average person.

A number of sudden sharp pressure increases in the writing also indicate instability, nervousness and a quick temper. The writer is probably more likely to fly off the handle than the average person, and will become hostile and aggressive when frustrated.

Many signs of curtailment in the handwriting indicate that the subject has trouble giving free vent to her emotions and feelings. Her emotional control is total and consistent. In situations of great joy or grief she probably remains passive and uninvolved. As a result, she may find it hard to maintain close relationships or be very much liked by others. She makes matters worse by feeling embarrassment in the presence of people who readily display their emotions.
Because she feels incapable of expressing emotions, she will tend to remain calm and cool in situations which might cause other people to panic. This is sometimes an advantage, but because she is unable to respond appropriately at times when deep feelings must be expressed she tends to lack empathy.

There are cases of isolated ambiguity throughout the script which shows that the subject is over-concerned with concealment. She is attempting to cover up, and keep aspects of her personality or private life hidden from view or cloaked in mystery.
This type of handwriting is found in professions which demand a high degree of confidence keeping, such as lawyers, bankers and doctors.
It is wrong to interpret isolated ambiguity as a sign of a deceitful personality, but it does show a need for the subject to hide some part of her personality or background which may cause embarrassment or anxiety.

There are a few indications in the handwriting that, at the time of writing, the subject was suffering from mild stress. This may be temporary, for example if she was upset, tired, or working against a deadline. However, the subject may be living at an unacceptable level of stress, one which is beginning to affect her physical well being.
These are warning signs in the handwriting, and indicate that the subject should pause and reflect on those aspects of her lifestyle which may be causing long-term difficulties. She should try to reduce them whenever possible, relax more frequently, and perhaps take more exercise. Stress can be beneficial, but if allowed to get out of control, it may prove a hazard to mental and physical health.

Try it here!

 

ZZ Bottom

Ever wonder what font you’d be?

I think I’m one of these:

Untitleddd

I’m pretty sure I’ve got serifs. But MT Bold is very much me.

Do ghosts enjoy Boo-lean algebra?

Remember my post on John Napier awhile back?

Well check out the Genaille-Lucas rulers, a variant of Napier’s bones. They’re used to carry out multiplication and have a really snazzy way of visually representing the “carry” part of multiplication.

Check out this example on Wikipedia.

I’m totally printing out that PDF of the rulers at the bottom of the Wiki page. Snazzy!

ACTION SLIDE!

OKAY FOOLS!

I’ve decided on my tattoo. Behold!

Integral

 

Why an integral sign?

  1. If you know anything about me at all, you know that I love Leibniz. What better way to pay tribute to him in tattoo form than to get a tattoo of his symbol for integration? So it works on the level of Leibniz tribute.
  2. It also works on the level of my liking stats—after all, integration is used quite a bit in many statistical applications/techniques. And since that is the case, it saves me from having to pick a specific statistical formula or expression (which I could never do; I love them all!).
  3. I also just really like this symbol. I thought it was very elegant even before I knew that Leibniz came up with it.

It really does have a lot more meaning to me than I can express here, but I tried, haha. I think I’m going to try and plan it so that I get it done (or mostly done) on July 1st this summer.

‘Cause yeah.

EXCITED!

RAB Returns (sorta)

RAB brothers…episode 9 is on Newgrounds now!!
(This was the one that was DVD exclusive)

Yeahyeahyeahyeah, it was uploaded in 2013, shut up. I never check Newgrounds anymore. Here:

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/614880

I am Puppy. Puppy is me.

Book Review: Far from the Madding Crowd (Hardy)

Have I read this before: Nope! Brand new to my eyes.

Review: This is what I learned from this book: if you’re going to mess with someone, it probably shouldn’t be anywhere near the level of implying you want to marry them when you have absolutely no interest in them.

Also: don’t piss off the farmers.

Far from the Madding Crowd chronicles three very interesting relationships of Bathsheba Everdene, a woman left in charge of a large farm in, as far as I can tell, the mid-1800s. First is Gabriel Oak, the shepherd we’re introduced to in the first chapter and who we mainly follow throughout most of the book. He loves Bathsheba from practically the moment he sees her, but is reduced to having to watch her other relationships blossom throughout most of the novel. They refer to him as “Farmer Oak” throughout but I kept reading it as “Professor Oak” (thanks, Pokemon), so that made for some entertaining reading.

Farmer Boldwood is the second lover and is the victim of a very poorly thought-out prank (it’s not even a prank, it was like, “hey, let’s screw with Boldwood, he’s weird”).

Finally there’s the soldier Francis Troy, who’s basically the 19th century equivalent of Zapp Brannigan. I read all his dialogue in Zapp’s voice and kept waiting for Kif to show up. Again, that made for some entertaining reading.

Anyway. It’s a soap opera on a farm. That’s always entertaining, right?

Favorite part: I feel bad calling this my favorite part, but Hardy did a great job showing how devastated Boldwood had become after he realized that the whole “Bathsheba loves you HAHA JUST KIDDING LOLZ” incident. I felt bad for the dude.

Rating: 6/10

Walk into the club like what up I got an infinite series

Today we had our second test in Complex Variables. The test involved figuring out quite a few Maclaurin series for functions involving i. I’ve been ridiculously busy and thus haven’t had a chance to check out the dude behind the Maclaurin series…until now!

So. A Maclaurin series is simply a Taylor series centered at zero. According to the almighty Wikipedia, this type of series is named after Colin Maclaurin, a Scottish mathematician that lived from 1698 – 1746 (so during Leibniz/Newton time and a little bit after). The reason centered-at-zero Taylor series are named after him is because he used them extensively in his Treatise of Fluxions when describing and characterizing points of inflection, minima, and maxima of smooth functions.

This dude was super smart. He entered college at 11 YEARS OLD and got a Masters degree three years later. He became a professor at age 19 and actually got a personal recommendation from Newton to be appointed deputy to James Gregory, the mathematics prof at Edinburgh, and then once he surpassed Gregory’s position, Newton was so impressed that he actually offered to pay his salary for him.

He also had a crapton of children (well, 7 children, which I guess probably wasn’t a crapton back then) and died of complications from edema.

 

Pants:

I’m not wearing them.

Show me love?

WHY THE HELL NOT.

Top two:

asdf

 

Makes sense. They were really close scores; 10 and 9 respectively.