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Fermat's Penultimate Theorem
In his copy of Diophantus’s Arithmetica, Pierre de Fermat famously wrote:
Cubum autem in duos cubos, aut quadratoquadratum in duos quadratoquadratos & generaliter nullam in infinitum ultra quadratum potestatem in duos eiusdem nominis fas est dividere cuius rei demonstrationem mirabilem sane detexi. Hanc marginis exiguitas non caperet.
Or, in ( Read more... ) -
Video: The COVID Connection
I finally got it done and posted.
Latest lyrics are:
Why are there so many songs about COVID
And why do they fill my queue?
People are lonely, and bored, and creative
And people need something to do
Making a video's really not hideous
Getting it perfect's a plus
Someday we'll beat it, the coronavirus
The doctors, the nurses, and us
Who said that ev'ryone ( Read more... ) -
Sticky tongue twister
In doing some vocal warm-ups for "The COVID Connection", I have just discovered that singing "ribbit ribbit ribbit ribbit ribbit" is difficult to sing quickly.
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Filk: The COVID Connection
I've been poking at this for a few days, inspired by the recent "Special Performance of "Rainbow Connection" from Kermit the Frog" video. I'm considering swapping my own audio into that video, though I'm not having much luck finding or creating a banjo accompaniment to match.
It's intended to be somewhat self-referential and meta. I'm trying ( Read more... ) -
Gruntbuggly My Foe
Months in the planning, delayed in the execution... I had the idea of trying to make Vogon poetry sound as pretty as possible, and challenging others to do interesting things with Vogon poetry, in recognition of the 42nd anniversary of the initial broadcast of The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I noticed some rhyme parallels between the first ( Read more... ) -
Instant Pot Cornmeal Pudding
This is a "pot-in-pot" recipe, requiring a cooking pot inside the Instant Pot. This is functionally similar to a double boiler; the food is heated by steam, rather than directly by the Instant Pot's heating element. This is necessary to allow the gooey dairy mixture to be cooked without burning. (I use a thin-walled stainless-steel inner ( Read more... ) -
Instant Pot Rice Pudding
This is a "pot-in-pot" recipe, requiring a cooking pot inside the Instant Pot. This is functionally similar to a double boiler; the food is heated by steam, rather than directly by the Instant Pot's heating element. This is necessary to allow the gooey dairy mixture to be cooked without burning. I use a thin-walled stainless-steel inner pot. A ( Read more... ) -
Grenville Christian College: the legal smack-down
The case against Grenville Christian College has been decided in favour of the plaintiffs.
The judge was fairly blunt in her comments.
Students could get in trouble for not smiling enough.1 Or for smiling too much.2 Among other things. For being "too proud" of some accomplishment, say; that's a great way to discourage achievement.
Trouble, in this ( Read more... ) -
Plot idea: disguise failure
Plot idea: Elaborate advanced-tech disguises fail to fool low-tech aliens because they have different sensory systems.
Riker: "Greetings, friend. We have come from the village of Barsoom, three days' travel from here."
Villager: "Uh, greetings to you. Uh, no offense, but what's wrong with your face?"
Riker: "My face? What about it?"
Villager: "There ( Read more... )
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