In general we look for a new law by the following process. First we guess it. Then we compute the consequences of the guess to see what would be implied if this law that we guessed is right. Then we compare the result of the computation to nature, with experiment or experience, compare it directly […]
Continue reading about If it disagrees with experiment it is wrong.
I love Science. I think that sharing knowledge and testing ideas against the real world are great ways to find truth.
But, I think Science is really misunderstood. From the evolution-creationism “debate” to “are eggs good for you?”, Science really takes some learning and education to figure out what’s meaningful and what’s bullshit.
When you see something […]
Found a great article on the math of checkout lines. It does a great job of showing a concrete example of some fancy math concepts, and also shows the difference between thinking something is correct and having proof of it.
Given the picture below, which line do *you* think is faster? Click the image to find […]
I got into a small debate/discussion about direct versus representative democracy. Via Twitter. While drinking. Not really the place for significant exposition. I thought of the founders of the US discussing the Federalist Papers. And I thought, “what if?” Not “what if the founders were drunk?” but “what if they were limited to tweets?”
I went […]
As I mentioned, I was at this investment meeting last week. They gave us a bunch of papers, and being a giant nerd, I actually read the stuff. (Hey, I do want to retire, and sooner rather than later)
There were a few things I read that I think are interesting for the long term.
According to […]
Check it, bitches. Pi is wrong! Since pi is so often used as 2pi, this guy argues that it should be redefined as 6.28! (PDF link). It’s a short read, non
Thanks to Emil Gilliam for the link, and for his very cool looking service, Noted. I’m checking it out as a replacement for Sandy. Ah, […]
I went out to ORUG tonight. Voxeo was presenting a thing they’re working on, Tropo. Disclosure: they bought us dinner. Full disclosure: I think this thing is really tight.
I used to help set up phone systems in high school, and phone trees have always seemed like kind of a mystery. Tropo lets you build whole […]
Before I got burglarized and subsequently moved, I kept my stereo on a shelf next to my drums. Great for practice.
Since I’ve moved, my drums are stored offsite. Not that bad of a deal, since I can still bring the laptop to listen & practice. So, now my stereo is back in my office. The […]
Our digestive system is designed to handle a high-quality omnivorous diet. By high-quality, I mean one that has a high ratio of calories to indigestible material (fiber). Our species is very good at skimming off the highest quality food in nearly any ecological niche. Animals that are accustomed to high-fiber diets, such as cows and […]
Thanks to Corey for this.
This guy, Evan Miller, put together some proper Math to produce a better way for ordering things with positive and negative ratings. You know, things like music lists, movies, products, anything that gets rated.
Also, I see his site says he’s a PhD student in University of Chicago’s Economics program. That’s supposed […]