January 23, 2022

Math History

Take an online journey through the history of math - "'History of Mathematics' explores the origins of arithmetic, algebra, geometry and more... Take the Pythagorean theorem. The Greek philosopher Pythagoras, who lived in the sixth century B.C., famously related the side lengths of a right triangle in the equation a2 + b2 = c2. But a clay tablet reveals that people in Mesopotamia had worked out the relationship more than 1,000 years earlier."[1,2,3,4]
posted by kliuless at 11:11 PM PST - 4 comments

How Encanto and Moana explain America

SL Atlantic: "The casita is threatened. The heart must be restored. But all is not lost, the future is not set. That’s the message. America has bounced back from worse, much worse—but it’s not just Miranda who is worried. More and more of the world sees the flame of America’s miracle flickering too."
posted by contrapositive at 6:30 PM PST - 40 comments

Legendary French designer Thierry Mugler dies at 73

Manfred Thierry Mugler, the French designer known for his precision cuts and sense of theatricality, has died at age 73. Born Dec. 21, 1948, in Strasbourg, France, Mugler began designing in the 1970s. He eventually became known for his dramatic, avant-garde designs. [more inside]
posted by kitten kaboodle at 6:14 PM PST - 15 comments

I have a soft spot for this kinda food. It's right below the stent.

All Praise the St. Louis Bagel and Its Infinite Potential The infamous, vertically sliced St. Louis bagel is not an abomination—it’s a brand-new playing field for a brand-freaking-new game.
posted by lalochezia at 6:06 PM PST - 56 comments

How fast can a monkey swim?

Saturday: four monkeys escaped from a truck in Pennsylvania. Three were recaptured but the fourth is on the loose. 24 hours later: a monkey is spotted running into a wood near Canterbury, Kent in England. So, just how fast can a monkey swim?!
posted by fallingbadgers at 1:50 PM PST - 42 comments

Not Your Normal Jukebox Musical

The best place to start, perhaps is with the Grammy Award-winning Original Cast Album [Grammy.com] for Tony-winning musical Jagged Little Pill [Wikipedia], with music by Alanis Morissette and book by Diablo Cody. Two ways to listen: YouTube Playlist, or (much more fun) a Virtual Album Celebration with the cast [1h16m] as they listen to the album together for the first time ever and record their reactions. Now, let's dig in. [more inside]
posted by hippybear at 9:55 AM PST - 4 comments

Barge Chillling Beach

There's the official name of places and what people actually call it. For a long time, Vancouver, B.C. had Guelph Park. But when Viktor Briestensky put up a sign proclaiming it, "Dude Chilling Park" and the city took it down, residents resisted and signed a petition to keep the name what they called it. A surprisingly chill Parks Board listened and renamed the park. Last November a barge washed ashore (NYT) at Sunset Beach in Vancouver during flooding. Despite attempts to dislodge it, it has remained firmly in place. Residents have adopted it, taking selfies, and made requests to decorate it. The Parks Board, for the general amusement of the public, have placed a sign, "Barge Chilling Beach". The barge even tweets. [more inside]
posted by blueberry monster at 9:51 AM PST - 20 comments

At-will for me, but not for thee

An injunction has been granted against seven health-care workers changing jobs. Several employees of Wisconsin's ThedaCare-Neenah hospital told their employer on dates between December 21 and January 7th of their intent to cease employment there and begin work at Ascension St. Elizabeth on January 24th, citing better working conditions and benefits as a primary motivator for their decision to change jobs. This Thursday, ThedaCare filed in court to block their former employees' new employment, and on Friday, Outagamie County Circuit Court Judge Mark McGinnis granted a preliminary injunction, preventing the seven health-care workers from working at Ascension pending resolution of the case. [more inside]
posted by jackbishop at 9:06 AM PST - 142 comments

The noise started at the beginning of November

It was described by residents of north Brooklyn Heights as a mechanical chirp or a high-pitched, repeating whirr. Some thought it was a car alarm; others, a motor noise. It had a strange way of seeming to move around the neighborhood depending on where you stood. Whatever it was, as it continued nonstop for days, and then weeks, it slowly drove people crazy.
posted by ShooBoo at 9:01 AM PST - 54 comments

AI assisted drawing with hardware acceleration.

Turn primitive shapes into realistic landscapes. Watch a demo. Try the online app, or download the nVidia Canvas desktop app, though you will need a graphics card with RTX.
posted by adept256 at 4:01 AM PST - 12 comments

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