http://www.ams.org/notices/201201/rtx120100031p.pdf
ams.org
Hasnain says:
"In fact, hostility to mathematics is endemic in
our culture. Imagine a conversation:
A: What do you do?
B: I am a ———.
A: Oh, I hate that.
Ideally this response would be limited to such occupations as “serial killer”, “child pornographer”,
and maybe “politician”, but “mathematician” seems
to work. It is common enough that many of us are
reluctant to identify ourselves as mathematicians.
Paul Halmos is said to have told outsiders that he
was in “roofing and siding”!"
A pretty good read, titled "A Revolution in Mathematics? What Really Happened a Century Ago and Why It Matters Today"
Posted on 2013-03-11T07:04:20+0000
Elizabeth Kolbert: The Science of Sleeplessness
New technologies have made the study of sleep cheaper, easier, and less intrusive. But if this is sleep research’s golden age, then why are we all so tired?
Hasnain says:
Teen-agers are owls, which is why high schools are filled with students who look (and act) like zombies. Roenneberg advocates scheduling high-school classes to begin later in the day, and he cites studies showing that schools that delay the start of first period see performance, motivation, and attendance all increase. (A school district in Minnesota that switched to a later schedule found that the average S.A.T. scores for the top ten per cent of the class rose by more than two hundred points, a result that the head of the College Board called “truly flabbergasting.”) But, Roenneberg notes, teachers and school administrators generally resist the change, preferring to believe that the problem is insoluble.
Posted on 2013-03-10T18:33:03+0000
Introduction to Machine Learning
Instructor:Barnabas Poczos (office hours 10am-12pm Thursdays in Gates 8231) and Alex Smola (office hours 2-4pm Tuesdays in Gates 8002)
Playable Simcity 2013
Play Simcity 2013 online!
The Professor, the Bikini Model and the Suitcase Full of Trouble
A world-renowned physicist meets a gorgeous model online. They plan their perfect life together. But first, she asks, would he be so kind as to deliver a special package to her?
State lawmaker defends bike tax, says bicycling is not good for the environment
Representative Ed Orcutt (R – Kalama) does not think bicycling is environmentally friendly because the activity causes cyclists to have "an increased heart rate and respiration." This is according ...
Hasnain says:
“You would be giving off more CO2 if you are riding a bike than driving in a car,” he said
...
Posted on 2013-03-05T19:45:33+0000
Life Inside the Aaron Swartz investigation
A reluctant witness' account of a Federal prosecution.
40 Years After an Acid Attack, a Life Well Lived
In 1973, a man committed an unthinkable act against a Brooklyn boy named Josh Miele. Still haunted decades later, a neighbor searched for answers.
Steve Mann: My “Augmediated” Life - IEEE Spectrum
What I’ve learned from 35 years of wearing computerized eyewear
Viral Video Shows the Extent of U.S. Wealth Inequality
The matter of wealth inequality in the United States is well known, but this video shows you the extent of that inequality in dramatic and graphic fashion.