tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61768010216446685262024-03-12T18:36:25.212-07:00Lost in the StarsRambling thoughts from someone trying to keep his "I wish I had..." list as <br> short as possible.Mathnerdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07801972480144862709noreply@blogger.comBlogger133125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6176801021644668526.post-74920932042334463182017-02-06T06:50:00.000-08:002017-02-06T06:51:16.086-08:00Ohm’s Allegory<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
In science a “law”
is a lesser concept than a “theory”. Theories include an
explanation of why something works the way it does. For example: the
theory of relativity, evolutionary theory, quantum theory, etc. But
when we posit a law, all that’s required is to formalize
observations of some type of effect.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br>
</div><a href="http://mathnerde.blogspot.com/2017/02/ohms-allegory.html#more">Read more »</a>Mathnerdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07801972480144862709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6176801021644668526.post-17358682306232650432017-01-22T08:19:00.004-08:002017-01-22T08:19:57.025-08:00Regression To The MeanSeems like a wet year. Maybe it is, I haven’t been able to find a really good site for monthly totals for the past few years. But part of why it seems so wet is that the last few years have been so dry. Really dry. Exceptional drought dry. So now, even if we get an average year it will seem pretty wet.<br>
<br>
<a href="http://mathnerde.blogspot.com/2017/01/regression-to-mean.html#more">Read more »</a>Mathnerdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07801972480144862709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6176801021644668526.post-56543572627381763692017-01-07T07:53:00.000-08:002017-01-07T07:53:11.516-08:00By the Numbers<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
It’s another new
year. So I guess it’s time to tally up my score for last year. And
I think I did pretty well. As a writer I need to track where I submit
things to and what the outcome is. I keep a database which makes it
easy to count up some of my important statistics.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<a href="http://mathnerde.blogspot.com/2017/01/by-numbers.html#more">Read more »</a>Mathnerdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07801972480144862709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6176801021644668526.post-83362695096167418932016-12-17T10:02:00.000-08:002016-12-17T10:02:00.135-08:00Resting on Laurels <div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Back on December 1<sup>st</sup>
California’s Poet Laureate visited Bakersfield. For those that
don’t know, that’s a position given to someone that does a lot to
represent poetry. In particular, California’s Poet Laureate, Dana
Gioia (JOY-yah), has made it his goal to present poetry in every
California County. Which, given the population of some of our
counties, means he’ll be talking to some pretty empty rooms.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<a href="http://mathnerde.blogspot.com/2016/12/resting-on-laurels.html#more">Read more »</a>Mathnerdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07801972480144862709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6176801021644668526.post-36630644420935862482016-10-29T10:20:00.000-07:002016-10-29T10:20:01.465-07:00“Birds” Watching<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
So recently I spent
some time in the small towns of Bodega and Bodega Bay. The weather
was rainy due to a small storm sliding down California, so there
weren't a lot of outdoor activities that could really be enjoyed. I
did some photography of the waves crashing into the beach. (Even a
small storm can make some pretty dramatic waves.) And I did a little
bird watching.</div>
<a href="http://mathnerde.blogspot.com/2016/10/birds-watching.html#more">Read more »</a>Mathnerdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07801972480144862709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6176801021644668526.post-54168539153970899082016-10-02T15:33:00.001-07:002016-10-02T15:33:17.530-07:00Retrograde<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Every night about
nine o'clock, Moonpi (our dog) and I step outside. For him it's an
opportunity to do some sniffing around and do some other doggy
business. And for me it is an opportunity to look up at the night
sky. For the past few months I've been watching a small triangle of
stars on the southwest part of the sky.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<a href="http://mathnerde.blogspot.com/2016/10/retrograde.html#more">Read more »</a>Mathnerdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07801972480144862709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6176801021644668526.post-37552209354121207592016-09-03T10:42:00.004-07:002016-09-03T10:43:25.952-07:00Historical<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I've been getting
exposed to history that I was never taught in school. I'm learning
quite a bit from a podcast (which is an internet audio “lecture”
or “discussion”) called “Stuff You Missed In History Class”.
That podcast covers all manner of topics, from the tasty (a history
of cheese) to the silly (the West Point Eggnog Riot of 1826) to the
horrific (the Tulsa Race Riot). But there are many things that just
don't show up in history classes. Partly due to time, there just
isn't enough time to cover everything. And partly due to a certain
kind of censorship, people just don't want to talk about certain
things.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br>
</div><a href="http://mathnerde.blogspot.com/2016/09/historical.html#more">Read more »</a>Mathnerdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07801972480144862709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6176801021644668526.post-69144247571718536042016-08-05T15:59:00.000-07:002016-08-05T15:59:06.531-07:00It's Too Hot<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
So far 2016 is the
warmest year on record. Following 2015 which was previously the
warmest year on record. Out there in Death Valley they're flirting
with surpassing the world's record temperature (134<span style="font-family: Liberation Serif, serif;">º</span><span style="font-family: Liberation Serif, serif;">F
from 1913). </span><span style="font-family: Liberation Serif, serif;">But it wasn't
that long ago that we were still getting glaciers forming in the
Sierras. </span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Liberation Serif, serif;"></span></div>
<a href="http://mathnerde.blogspot.com/2016/08/its-too-hot.html#more">Read more »</a>Mathnerdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07801972480144862709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6176801021644668526.post-85250517715655751792016-07-24T08:32:00.000-07:002016-08-05T15:59:38.653-07:00Stuff<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I have recently been
involved in trying to help some people move. And since they are going
to a smaller place they have to get rid of <i>stuff</i>. A lot of
stuff. And even when something isn't an heirloom it can still be a
memory. And a memory can be important.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br>
</div><a href="http://mathnerde.blogspot.com/2016/07/stuff.html#more">Read more »</a>Mathnerdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07801972480144862709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6176801021644668526.post-60259926980446922972016-05-12T10:15:00.001-07:002016-08-05T16:00:36.481-07:00Time to Celebrate<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="line-height: 100%;">It's almost May and
Summer is around the corner. The end of April has been very busy for
me so I hadn't really thought of anything that I could write about.
But I discovered the National Day Calendar
(</span><a href="http://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/calendar-at-a-glance/" style="line-height: 100%;">http://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/calendar-at-a-glance/</a><span style="line-height: 100%;">).
And if you're needing a reason to celebrate they've got you covered.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="line-height: 100%;"></span><br>
</div><a href="http://mathnerde.blogspot.com/2016/05/time-to-celebrate.html#more">Read more »</a>Mathnerdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07801972480144862709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6176801021644668526.post-81449359699227177132016-05-12T10:12:00.002-07:002016-08-05T16:01:24.947-07:00Getting Animated<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Due to getting
access to YouTube on my TV I've been watching more stuff on YouTube
than I used to. There seems to be something for everyone on there.
I've found cooking videos for people who are Revolutionary War
reenactors and others for how to take apart your computer.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br>
</div><a href="http://mathnerde.blogspot.com/2016/05/getting-animated.html#more">Read more »</a>Mathnerdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07801972480144862709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6176801021644668526.post-20814887175853589222016-03-06T15:16:00.000-08:002016-03-06T15:16:15.316-08:00Burning Daylight<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="line-height: 100%;">So, it's just
around the corner. Yet again. Daylight Saving Time. Another year with
the horrible weeks of adjusting to a new timezone without even
moving. Now I can sort of theoretically understand that there </span><i style="line-height: 100%;">are</i><span style="line-height: 100%;">
people that like it.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="line-height: 100%;"></span></div>
<a href="http://mathnerde.blogspot.com/2016/03/burning-daylight.html#more">Read more »</a>Mathnerdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07801972480144862709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6176801021644668526.post-60115265714136774292016-03-06T15:14:00.000-08:002016-03-06T15:14:05.061-08:00Wavy Gravity<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #252525;"><span style="font-family: Liberation Serif, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Physics
was making big news again just recently. When Albert Einstein created
his general theory of relativity it suggested that gravity was
actually warping space. And that's the model that people have been
using since many of it's predictions have been verified. Like gravity
bending light, and slight differences in the flow of time between the
Earth's surface and out in space (which has to be accounted for to
make your GPS work). </span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #252525;"><span style="font-family: Liberation Serif, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></span></div>
<a href="http://mathnerde.blogspot.com/2016/03/wavy-gravity.html#more">Read more »</a>Mathnerdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07801972480144862709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6176801021644668526.post-22094505605658093442016-02-09T12:53:00.002-08:002016-02-09T13:00:53.523-08:00Lunar-C<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Time is a strange
dimension. Mathematically we can move all around in space, but with
time all we can do is follow along as time keeps moving “forward”.
We can look back in time through memory, history and scientific
methods, but when we go forward we have to make predictions. These
can be as good as predicting a solar eclipse years in advance. Or as
poor as guessing who's going to be president next year.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br>
</div><a href="http://mathnerde.blogspot.com/2016/02/lunar-c.html#more">Read more »</a>Mathnerdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07801972480144862709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6176801021644668526.post-28204674201466049722016-01-23T07:30:00.000-08:002016-01-23T07:30:17.875-08:00Out in the Cold<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I don't always know
where my projects are inspired. But this time I'm pretty sure that my
interest in <i>cold smoking</i> came from how expensive smoked salmon
is. Cold smoking is like barbecue in that food is flavored by smoke
of long periods of time, but since it's “cold” the food doesn't
get cooked.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<a href="http://mathnerde.blogspot.com/2016/01/out-in-cold.html#more">Read more »</a>Mathnerdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07801972480144862709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6176801021644668526.post-51376485882553587422016-01-09T08:22:00.000-08:002016-01-09T08:22:01.436-08:00Cal-Earth<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uvexYNI2GGM/VorndNYREhI/AAAAAAAAAVg/cUG-mY-gWME/s1600/IMGP2851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uvexYNI2GGM/VorndNYREhI/AAAAAAAAAVg/cUG-mY-gWME/s320/IMGP2851.JPG" width="320"></a>Not too long ago we
were watching <a href="http://www.kcet.org/arts/artbound/counties/san-bernardino/cal-earth-superadobe-hesperia.html">PBS (it happens)</a> and saw a short segment on a group
here in California building structures out of EARTH (don't call it
“dirt”). They had gracefully curved buildings that would remind a
person of a hobbit home. Cozy.
<br>
<br></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br>
</div><a href="http://mathnerde.blogspot.com/2016/01/cal-earth.html#more">Read more »</a>Mathnerdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07801972480144862709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6176801021644668526.post-55047701193055620722015-11-21T08:00:00.000-08:002015-11-21T08:00:02.287-08:00Getting Judgmental<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="line-height: 100%;">I was recently
asked to be a judge for a poetry contest held by the student editors
of Taft College's literary magazine, </span><i style="line-height: 100%;">A Sharp Piece of Awesome</i><span style="line-height: 100%;">.
This magazine has been put out by the students for the past five
years, with their next issue due out next May. However, this was the
first year I learned of their poetry reading event.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="line-height: 100%;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
The event, like
many of their book launch events, was held at the Black Gold Cafe in
downtown Taft. The owner is a strong supporter of the schools in
Taft.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
There were probably
twenty people there, mostly Taft College students, but a few other
people came out to hear and read their poetry. There were three
judges. Bill Devine is a professor at Taft College, teaching English
classes. Then Clarissa Alderete, who is a student at Taft College and
one of the <i>Sharp Piece of Awesome </i><span style="font-style: normal;">editors.
Then there was me. I had been invited since I'm a Kern County
published poet.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"> We
(the judges) took a few minutes before the reading started to go over
the criteria we wanted to us. Since it was a contest of </span><i>reading</i><span style="font-style: normal;">,
some of the criteria were performance based (like articulation), and
since it was a poetry contest, some of the criteria were literary
(like clarity and imagery). Then we scattered to different parts of
the room to listen. Then afterwards we got back together and
discovered we'd all agreed on the top three. Oh, we did have them in
slightly different order, but we all had the same top three. So after
a little discussion we decided on a consensus order.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Given
that most of the people there were Taft College students, it's not
too surprising that two of the prizes went to some of them (first and
third prizes). But second went to an older man (probably in his
seventies, maybe eighties). His poems, while not in a modern style,
were very good, and he was a very good reader. Well, actually he had
his mostly memorized. <span style="line-height: 100%;">The
audience as a whole also got to vote their favorite, and again the
majority went for him.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
So
all in all this was a fun event. I had a chance to meet some new
people, talk poetry and have a good time. It was quite an honor for
Geoffrey Dyer, the <i>Sharp Piece of Awesome</i>
faculty advisor, to think of me as a possible judge for their event.
Hopefully I'll have a chance to do something similar again.</div>
Mathnerdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07801972480144862709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6176801021644668526.post-38552604120469135852015-09-29T14:30:00.005-07:002015-09-29T14:34:26.761-07:00Center of the WorldNormally in August there is a festival down at Pine Mountain Club (near Frazier Park for those that don't know) called the Center of the World Festival. The name comes from the fact that the Chumash people that lived there say that Mount Pinos is the center on the world. The festival operates on grants and has a theme that changes based on their current grant.<br>
<br>
<a href="http://mathnerde.blogspot.com/2015/09/center-of-world.html#more">Read more »</a>Mathnerdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07801972480144862709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6176801021644668526.post-56930487070688133962015-09-12T07:00:00.000-07:002015-09-12T07:00:06.072-07:00Legacy<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I recently went to
a breakfast meeting in Bakersfield which presented information about
John Muir, the founder of the Sierra Club and the man that helped
convince Teddy Roosevelt to start the National Parks. In 1976
California historians named him the greatest Californian. (I'm sure
that he'd still be near the top today.) But despite being an
important Californian, he wasn't born here. He was born in Scotland.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<a href="http://mathnerde.blogspot.com/2015/09/legacy.html#more">Read more »</a>Mathnerdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07801972480144862709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6176801021644668526.post-18439901519693049642015-08-15T07:00:00.000-07:002015-08-15T07:00:01.569-07:00The Jury Is Out<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
When you read this
I will be coming up on my period of jury duty. It has actually been a
couple years since I've been called. But there for a while I was
getting called every year. At first I would go and get put in a pool
at the end of the afternoon so I'd have to come back the next day.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<a href="http://mathnerde.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-jury-is-out.html#more">Read more »</a>Mathnerdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07801972480144862709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6176801021644668526.post-30954122170107364592015-08-01T06:30:00.000-07:002015-08-01T06:30:00.352-07:00Urban Coyote<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Now that's not some
re-imagined movie starring John Travolta. But it is in fact, “a
thing”. I have been looking at some articles on animals (and other
things) for a project I've been fiddling with on the natural history
of the area. And one of the things I've been reading that has been of
special interest is that of coyotes in an urban environment.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<a href="http://mathnerde.blogspot.com/2015/08/urban-coyote.html#more">Read more »</a>Mathnerdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07801972480144862709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6176801021644668526.post-69213757363553694652015-07-04T06:30:00.000-07:002015-07-04T06:30:01.521-07:00Leap Second<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="line-height: 100%;">On June 30th we had
a leap second added to the year. A leap </span><i style="line-height: 100%;">second</i><span style="line-height: 100%;">? That's right,
a second. We're all familiar with the leap day we add to the year
every 4 years (next year will be one). That day is added to keep our
calendars aligned with the stars. When someone asks how many days in
a year, we automatically say 365. And that's pretty close.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="line-height: 100%;"></span></div>
<a href="http://mathnerde.blogspot.com/2015/07/leap-second.html#more">Read more »</a>Mathnerdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07801972480144862709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6176801021644668526.post-57922044285936589592015-06-20T07:55:00.000-07:002015-06-20T07:55:00.231-07:00Fortune Cookie<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
A couple weeks ago
I was having Chinese food down in Bakersfield and opened up my
fortune cookie. It said that I was to receive a “great honor”.
It's not that I put any store in what a cookie thinks, but I did try
to think of anything that I might be in line for that could be
considered an “honor”. And I came up with two. And they both came
true.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HaOZXVqJJu0/VXhP5SxnFBI/AAAAAAAAAUA/I-V7HzpuWM0/s1600/DrifterFrontCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HaOZXVqJJu0/VXhP5SxnFBI/AAAAAAAAAUA/I-V7HzpuWM0/s320/DrifterFrontCover.jpg" width="205"></a></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<a href="http://mathnerde.blogspot.com/2015/06/fortune-cookie.html#more">Read more »</a>Mathnerdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07801972480144862709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6176801021644668526.post-48757813940895081852015-06-06T07:30:00.000-07:002015-06-10T07:56:22.840-07:00Animals on Wheels<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Just the other day
I was flipping channels since I couldn't find anything on and
stumbled across the PBS show <i>Nature</i> reshowing the episode “My
Bionic Pet”. This concerned the lives of several animals using
prostheses. There were dogs with three (or two) legs, a pig with a
wheel chair, and even an alligator with a prosthetic tail.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br>
</div><a href="http://mathnerde.blogspot.com/2015/06/animals-on-wheels.html#more">Read more »</a>Mathnerdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07801972480144862709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6176801021644668526.post-3107905056558895872015-05-29T09:57:00.003-07:002015-06-10T07:56:30.451-07:00National Donut Day<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
It is said that the
road to hell is paved with good intentions. And I'm sure we can all
think of organizations and groups, and even individuals that have
done terrible things with the best of intentions. On the other hand,
I'm not sure where the road paved with donuts goes, but it isn't
hell.<br>
</div><a href="http://mathnerde.blogspot.com/2015/05/national-donut-day.html#more">Read more »</a>Mathnerdehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07801972480144862709noreply@blogger.com0