Finding Beauty in the Dissonance

"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt."

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:55:07 -0500

“Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt.”

- Richard Feynman

"Perhaps the most surprising thing about mathematics is that it is so surprising. The rules which we..."

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:32:51 -0500

“Perhaps the most surprising thing about mathematics is that it is so surprising. The rules which we make up at the beginning seem ordinary and inevitable, but it is impossible to foresee their consequences. These have only been found out by long study, extending over many centuries. Much of our knowledge is due to a comparatively few great mathematicians such as Newton, Euler, Gauss, or Riemann; few careers can have been more satisfying than theirs. They have contributed something to human thought even more lasting than great literature, since it is independent of language.”

- E. C. Titchmarsh

"There’s a mathematician whose non-mathematician friends are constantly ribbing him because his..."

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:42:28 -0400

“There’s a mathematician whose non-mathematician friends are constantly ribbing him because his field is just so abstract and seems to have no relevance to the real world. One day, it gets to him, and he resolves to arm himself with some practical applications of research mathematics for the next encounter. He realizes that his own specialty (mathematical logic) is probably too far beyond them to be of any use there, so he goes to the department bulletin board to find an upcoming talk about something practical. Luckily, a talk is scheduled that afternoon on “the theory of gears.” “Perfect!” he says. Nothing could be more practical, more down-to-earth. Finally, he’ll be able to prove to his friends that mathematics is relevant to the real world. That afternoon, he’s so excited that he goes to the talk five minutes early and sits in the first row of seats. Then, at the scheduled time, the speaker stands up and begins: “While the theory of gears with real numbers of teeth is well understood….””

- Posted by Darsh on Math Overflow

"To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step towards knowledge."

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:58:11 -0400

“To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step towards knowledge.”

- Benjamin Disraeli

"The secret of the demagogue is to appear as dumb as his audience, so that they can believe..."

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 07:48:37 -0400

“The secret of the demagogue is to appear as dumb as his audience, so that they can believe themselves as smart as he.”

- Karl Kraus

CSI Myths: The Shaky Science Behind Forensics

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 18:04:38 -0400

CSI Myths: The Shaky Science Behind Forensics:

“Forensic science was not developed by scientists. It was mostly created by cops, who were guided by little more than common sense. And as hundreds of criminal cases begin to unravel, many established forensic practices are coming under fire. PM [Popular Mechanics] takes an in-depth look at the shaky science that has put innocent people behind bars.”

"A conservative is one who admires radicals centuries after they’re dead."

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 10:00:00 -0400

“A conservative is one who admires radicals centuries after they’re dead.”

- Leo Rosten

Overstimulated, from xkcd.

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 07:30:33 -0400

Overstimulated, from xkcd.

"Say nothing of my religion; it is known to myself and my god alone. Its evidence before the world..."

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:20:06 -0400

“Say nothing of my religion; it is known to myself and my god alone. Its evidence before the world is to be sought in my life; if that has been honest and dutiful to society, the religion which has regulated it cannot be a bad one.”

- Thomas Jefferson

Who was Neda?

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 22:43:00 -0400

Who was Neda?:

A short article from CNN about Neda, an innocent women killed near a protest in Iran. I’ve heard mention of the video of her death, and on the one hand think it’s fascinating how this has gone around the Internet and been picked up by the media, but on the other hand find it very disturbing that someone’s final, dying moments are effectively an international spectacle. The piece in the article that particularly struck me was “Since her death, public displays of mourning for Neda have been prohibited, the friend said.”

Video

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:40:48 -0400

Photo

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:46:55 -0400

Photos from a protest in Iran, in response to...

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 17:07:16 -0400

Photos from a protest in Iran, in response to Ahmadinejad’s questionable reelection.

From the New York Times, “An advertisement from 1930...

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 20:07:04 -0400

From the New York Times, “An advertisement from 1930 asserts that 20,679 physicians say that Lucky Strike cigarettes are less irritating. The ad is part of an exhibit at the Science, Industry and Business Library, part of the New York Public Library. The exhibit aims to show how Madison Avenue sold America on cigarettes.”

Paper Water Bottle

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 10:41:47 -0400

Paper Water Bottle:

A high-school student developed a water bottle made (mostly) of paper. A good idea, and it’s nice to see a kid interested in science: most high-school kids I’ve known seem more interested in business management, or something else they believe will put them into some serious cash.

“Lyles Constant,” from PBF

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 09:06:09 -0400

“Lyles Constant,” from PBF

“You may find it hard to believe,” from PHD Comics

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 09:57:02 -0400

“You may find it hard to believe,” from PHD Comics

"I never had much of a vocabulary. In fact, my friend Bob Schnieder would still be alive today if..."

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 12:12:27 -0400

“I never had much of a vocabulary. In fact, my friend Bob Schnieder would still be alive today if I’d known the difference between “antidote” and “anecdote”.”

- Ron White

Academic Earth

Tue, 19 May 2009 19:40:21 -0400

Academic Earth:

I think I knew about this site before and forgot about it, but it’s a collection of video lectures from places like MIT, Stanford, and Berkeley. I think I’m going to go over Gil Strang’s Linear Algebra lectures to help review some of the linear algebra I’ve forgotten before the algebra prelim in July.

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes."

Wed, 13 May 2009 21:48:27 -0400

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”

- Proust