December 2007
You are browsing the archive for December 2007.
common courtesy
Senator Arlen Specter doesn’t like being blown off. From a letter to Dick Cheney, accusing him of going behind Specter’s back to other Republican members of the Judiciary Committee: “I was surprised, to say the least, that you sought to influence, really determine, the action of the Committee without calling me first, or at least […]
factor this
x^4 – 11x^2 + 1 First prize is an Amazon gift certificate for one hundred dollars, decreasing in value by one dollar for each minute the problem remains unsolved. If it takes more than one hour forty minutes, you owe me money.
A Great Bargain
Dear Land Owner,I see you are selling some land near Chatsworth! With a view! I do feel like I should notify any potential buyers lest they remain unawares: the Santa Susana Field Lab was a rocket and nuclear test facility with a long and colorful history of meltdowns, partial meltdowns, radioactive fires, fission fires, and […]
Me! Of all people!
When Bernie and I lived in Napa, we were devoted readers of the St. Helena Star. They had a seemingly endless supply of stories about people who grew up on vineyards, pursued other avenues, and then, surprisingly, at mid-life, found themselves with vineyards of their own, often inherited from their families. The emphasis in these […]
"The Bronx is Burning"
ESPN is running a marathon of its miniseries about the 1977 New York Yankees. It is very watchable. John Turturro is fantastic, losing himself in the role of Billy Martin, the wily, self-destructive manager with a chip on his shoulder. Oliver Platt is less irritating than usual as owner George Steinbrenner, depressingly younger in 1977 […]
"Mad Men"
Is anyone a fan? I know some people who are going crazy over the show, about the heady world of advertising in the early sixties. I can see it has merits, but I’d like it better if every scene didn’t feature a character acting sexist or being antisemitic or blowing smoke in somebody’s face.
Recreational Mathematics
www.flatlandthemovie.com This looks like it would be pretty good. For some reason, it’s not available through Netflix.
accountability
A lot of excitement today about Andy Pettitte “coming clean” and admitting to the use of human growth hormone. From the Sunday New York Post: “In 2002 I was injured,” the statement said. “I had heard that human growth hormone could promote faster healing for my elbow. I felt an obligation to get back to […]
The Locker Puzzle
This is my favorite puzzle. A hallway in a school has 100 lockers. A student runs down the hall and opens every locker. A second student runs down the hall and closes every other locker, starting at the second. A third student runs down the hall and “flips” every third locker, starting at the third […]
Absentmindedness
I’m pretty absentminded, but for the most part I’ve learned how to handle it. It helps to have many of the same necessary objects. I’m always putting down my reading glasses and then can’t find them, so I have ten or so pairs scattered around my apartment and office. Today I hit the pinnacle of […]
Jack Silbert, curator