- Terry Pratchett knighted! (Thanks, Steve.)
- 2008: The year geeks took over. (Thanks, Gabriel.)
- Not gonna lie – I might one day tell my kid this is why she needs to learn math. (Thanks, Emory.)
- Oprah’s having bad luck with memoirists: turns out her favorite Holocaust story isn’t true either.
- From Some Canadian Skeptic, Canada’s skeptic report card for 2008.
Oh man, I need to brush up on my math skills.
SO thrilled about Pratchett. I am almost done with his latest novel “Nation” and it’s fantastic. Highly recommend. Lots of science and skepticism thinly disguised in a really compelling story.
I’ve fallen behind. I’ve got Wintersmith lying around collecting dust and I honestly can’t remember if I read Making Money.
Kinda off-topic: Apparently, every 30G Zune locked up last night.
hahaha I am screwed. I don’t think even 14 years ago as a Senior in HS I could have answered those questions…maybe I should take a night math course?
As I recall, the “Monster group” stuff was explained pretty well in Keith Devlin’s Mathematics: The New Golden Age. There’s also a new book, Finding Moonshine, by Marcus du Sautoy, who recently became Charles Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science after Richard Dawkins retired.
I have a degree in Computer Science, specializing in Scientific Computing. Admittedly, I’m a little rusty, but I’ve never even heard of the fischer-griess monster group before.
Well, the Monster Group and all the other less monstruous sporadic groups are weird things anyway. In what other context will you need an exact number such as 808017424794512875886459904961710757005754368000000000?
Sir Terry,
Has a great ring to it.
Ever since I read, “The Colour of Magic” I’ve always felt the I was to Engineering, what Rincewind was to Magic.
In other words, when I die mankind’s Engineering ability will go slightly “up”.
But only I know my true worth. I just have to keep my boss from finding out what it is…
rod
One thing that surprised me – Nation is a non-Discworld novel. It takes place in ‘our’ world. So, no fantasy or magic. Except in people’s heads. Or is it. It’s nicely done.
i still haven’t read any prachett. i’m a bad, bad skeptic. spank me!
Yeah! SIR Terry Pratchett! :-D
Poor Oprah…she may actually do some source checking before she airs her shows.
It’s about time…
I wonder why people try to publish lies as nonfiction instead of writing novels. I mean, novels are supposed to be lies! :-)
@writerdd: I know! I mean, I guess it adds a level of intrigue and makes it more likely their story will be sold, but ugh!
If anything, you can always call it a “fictionalized memoir”!
I had the same teacher for differential equations and real analysis. He would always say things like “What are you going to do when the man on the street stop you and asks for the eigenvalue of this matrix?” I always imagined some shady character in a coat, but never a gun…hmm
Yay Sir Pratchett!
@marilove: (me too)
/gulp
Please don’t take away my Cool Card.
Eeek, Canada’s Skeptic report card missed Q Transmissions, a skeptical call in radio show in Edmonton, Alberta.
My Job as Official Fanboy requires that I mention this oversite and direct you to the blog.
http://qtransmissions.wordpress.com/
Sir Terry, well all I can say is that it’s about damn time, he gets way too little credit. And Nation is an excellent sceptical book.
And on the subject of the geekification of the world, I’m posting this from my iPod Touch. In your face 20th Century!
OH NOES! *realization* I AM that kid! I didn’t even go to school!
Whoops, premature post.
I mean, I FORGOT to go to school! Yes, that’s it.
Gee, Oprah really seems to get tricked a lot, along with tricking others.