By:
On:
In: Uncategorized
Tagged: ,

It turns out that I’m far from the only person to use Pi Day as an impetus for a pie in the face, which is actually kind of nice to learn. I mean, I want to be weird, but not ridiculously out there, if you know what I mean. Anyway, here are a few examples of folks who put their faces on the line for mathematically-initiated silliness! A reporter makes a bet with the quarterback of the Tennessee football team as to how many digits of Pi he can rattle off. He wins. Two guys offer a demonstration. This isDown the rabbit hole….

By:
On:
In: Uncategorized
Tagged: ,

Yes, today is Pi Day! I don’t usually do much to observe Pi Day, but this year’s is a special edition, since this is the only year in this century when the digits will line up so perfectly. And how would a goof like me mark the occasion? Well, it would start with this: And end like this: Long live Pi, and pie! Share This PostDown the rabbit hole….

By:
On:
In: Uncategorized
Tagged: ,

Today is the anniversary of The Day the Music Died, as it’s come to be known: the day that a small plane carrying Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all three musicians. Sheila O’Malley has an excellent post on the subject; check it out. I went to college in that area, actually: Wartburg College is in Waverly, IA, which is roughly an hour’s drive away from the Mason City and Clear Lake area. For people in that part of Iowa, The Day the Music Died isn’t just a tragic day in the historyDown the rabbit hole….

By:
On:
In: Uncategorized
Tagged: ,

Politics below the fold. As I tweeted earlier: I will under no circumstances vote for you, or even listen to a single thing you have to say, if you are in any way anti-vaccine. — Kelly Sedinger (@Jaquandor) February 3, 2015 Being anti-vaccine is for me equivalent to global-warming denialism. It automatically disqualifies you from serious consideration. — Kelly Sedinger (@Jaquandor) February 3, 2015 What brought this on? Here’s Rand Paul saying that vaccinations should be voluntary because of freedom, some other GOP lackwit saying that we shouldn’t have an “oppressive government” enforcing vaccination, and that as a hypothetical exampleDown the rabbit hole….

By:
On:
In: Uncategorized
Tagged: ,

Oy. That was fun. And by “fun”, I mean, “This is the kind of shit that makes people want to live in weird places whose names end with ‘exas’ or ‘zona’ or ‘ida’ or ‘arolina’.” The lake-effect snow that started the other day? It just kept on coming…for three days. My town has received over 70 inches of snow, and other places nearby have received even more than that. At least our personal larders were well and truly stocked, so at no point have been even close to going hungry. We never lost power, and our heat has been fineDown the rabbit hole….

By:
On:
In: Uncategorized
Tagged:

Or at least my little corner of it. Over the last few days, local meteorologists have been sounding the alarm that today could potentially bring some significant lake-effect snow to the region. Lake-effect snow, for those unfamiliar with such things, is snow that is fueled by cold winds traversing the still-warm and open waters of a large body of water, like Lake Erie. Those winds pick up moisture, and then when they hit land, they dump it, usually in narrow bands of nastiness that are often just a few miles wide. It’s not uncommon for towns in the band to getDown the rabbit hole….

By:
On:
In: Uncategorized
Tagged:

Here’s what the Antares launch site looks like, post-disaster. When I refer to “explodey spaceshippy goodness”, I’m talking about the actiony bits of a good piece of space opera fiction. In real life, exploding spaceships is not a good thing! And remember, let’s not make fun of this failure or use it as ammunition to mock our space program, OK? There’s a reason we use the phrase “Hey, this ain’t rocket science”, so let’s show a little respect to the people who are actually doing rocket science. Share This PostDown the rabbit hole….