"All of the capybara trivia in it is true"
April 1, 2015 12:59 PM Subscribe
Measure Yourself by the Standard of the Capybara
April is both Mathematics Awareness Month and National Poetry Month, so logically we should be reading mathematical poetry. "Unit of Measure" by Sandra Beasley is a perfect poem for this purpose. This year [2014]’s Mathematics Awareness Month theme is “mathematics, magic, and mystery.” How could a poem that proposes the capybara as a universal ruler not be magical? How could the fishiness of the capybara not be mysterious?
You can listen to Sandra Beasley reading the poem at the Poetry Foundation website. While introducing the poem, she assures us that all of the capybara trivia in it is true.Capybaras previously: Animals sitting on capybaras, A snuggle buddy of unusual size, Rodents Of Unusual Size? I don't think they exist, The Fantastical Capybara.
Everyone is more or less alarmed
than a capybara
This is definitely true of me, although were I fall on the metric depends on the capybara and the situation (for me and the capybara). It is a very fluid metric.
posted by GenjiandProust at 1:20 PM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
than a capybara
This is definitely true of me, although were I fall on the metric depends on the capybara and the situation (for me and the capybara). It is a very fluid metric.
posted by GenjiandProust at 1:20 PM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
Also: The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.
Oh, Scientific American, where is your heart? where is your spine? Where is your soul?
Would you have been so guarded in the days before Nature? Would you not have let yourself love?
Probably, probably.
posted by GenjiandProust at 1:24 PM on April 1, 2015 [5 favorites]
Oh, Scientific American, where is your heart? where is your spine? Where is your soul?
Would you have been so guarded in the days before Nature? Would you not have let yourself love?
Probably, probably.
posted by GenjiandProust at 1:24 PM on April 1, 2015 [5 favorites]
"Capybara Trivia" sound like the name of some exotic European baroness.
posted by Greg_Ace at 1:35 PM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Greg_Ace at 1:35 PM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
I got nothing on capybaras but in the general spirit of things I'll leave this here, since it seems to be missing from the blog linked from the article:
http://www.math.uconn.edu/~glaz/Fun_Math_Links/Stanislaw_Lem.htm
posted by merlynkline at 1:36 PM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
http://www.math.uconn.edu/~glaz/Fun_Math_Links/Stanislaw_Lem.htm
posted by merlynkline at 1:36 PM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Before San Luis Obispo County had the Surfing Goats and the Dog Who Drops Things, our most web-viral animal was the Paso Robles Capybara. Cappy, where did you go?
posted by oneswellfoop at 1:48 PM on April 1, 2015
posted by oneswellfoop at 1:48 PM on April 1, 2015
A delightful poem but full of lies.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 5:25 PM on April 1, 2015
posted by Potomac Avenue at 5:25 PM on April 1, 2015
I feel I could be *exactly* as alarmed as a capybara, darnit!
posted by tavella at 5:34 PM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by tavella at 5:34 PM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
They can sleep underwater? I need to go look that up…
posted by five fresh fish at 7:37 PM on April 1, 2015
posted by five fresh fish at 7:37 PM on April 1, 2015
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posted by The Bellman at 1:04 PM on April 1, 2015 [3 favorites]