tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31744955Fri, 01 Nov 2024 09:16:42 +0000cultureartmusicManchesterActivismcyclingfilmrandommathshistorytechsciencemovieFoodhumourpoliticspuzzlesinteresting musicphilosophyphysicsUSAcraftexperimentsliteraturetravelxkcdCuisineDIYPic of the Momentinternetnaturenews80sChinaNew ZealandTVacademiaacademinaalleycatcoffeedesignelectronicaenvironmentgameshealthhorrorhotellinguisticsnerd pridephotographypoetryreligionsportsmanshipwarsawThe assorted observations of an Anthropologist, a Biologist, a Bioinformatician, an English Teacher, a Linguist, two Mathematicians, a Mechanical Engineer, an Experimental Physicist (and ninja Biologist) and a Sociologist.http://mancmath.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Philonous)Blogger140125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31744955.post-4443163101062463957Fri, 06 Mar 2009 15:39:00 +00002009-03-06T15:40:32.539+00:00I think this is a really calm and mild form of protesting- visually strong, straightfoward, and relatively harmless- simple but effective. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/mar/06/mandelson-green-slime-protesthttp://mancmath.blogspot.com/2009/03/nice-way-to-protest.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Lodger)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31744955.post-7806342842793372397Wed, 11 Feb 2009 00:44:00 +00002009-02-11T00:47:22.111+00:00newsTired of those dreary news reports on the deepening crisis? Wondering how Ed Balls is going to dig his way out of saying this is worse than the Great D*pr!ss&#n? No longer! Sing yourself out of financial turmoil with: http://mancmath.blogspot.com/2009/02/sing-away-crunch.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Philonous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31744955.post-3528137800124508Thu, 29 Jan 2009 21:28:00 +00002009-01-29T21:29:21.822+00:00I say next time we're together we each get a needle tattooed on us- so we're a pair! (you can pick where- somewhere discreet, I'm sure!) xxxxxxx http://mancmath.blogspot.com/2009/01/le-fox-this-ones-for-you.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Lodger)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31744955.post-6522761403148474817Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:10:00 +00002009-01-29T11:17:53.399+00:00cyclingTunnel of Doom 2009, a Ride it Sunday event, was a time-trial race through the Mersey tunnel, this Sunday gone. Unfortunately, I couldn't make it to the actual race (at a steampunk party in London with Le Fox) but it looks like it was a lot of tiring fun. Chikin made this video of the recce trip: . check out the Ride it Sunday blog.http://mancmath.blogspot.com/2009/01/tunnel-of-doom-2009.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Philonous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31744955.post-7614007345690572033Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:00:00 +00002009-01-16T18:15:38.707+00:00cyclingManchesterIf I haven't posted anything for a while, it's at least partially to do with I bike MCR, the Manchester grassroots cycling group.  Somehow, I've ended up writing an I bike MCR zine.  Check it out:Here's a version for viewing online (~1.2MB)Here's a black and white version for printing (~12MB)Here's a colour version for printing(~33MB)I'm distributing copies around Manchester over the next couple http://mancmath.blogspot.com/2009/01/manchester-critical-mass-zine.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Philonous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31744955.post-2997409990094391629Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:22:00 +00002009-01-06T14:31:48.825+00:00Neat-o. Apparently I missed out on the crazy bus advert wars featuring scary Christian messages saying that us non-Christians are going to hell. That's so nice! Well I really like this story about groups that are protesting with their own, much less graphic, atheist messages. I'm sorry to miss these, too. Anybody want to take a picture for me? I don't know if I'm an atheist, but I'm certainly http://mancmath.blogspot.com/2009/01/yay-atheism.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Lodger)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31744955.post-796603735783500956Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:16:00 +00002009-01-05T15:59:32.019+00:00 Well, while looking for bits and pieces for costumes for an event at the museum, a 'Japanese Club Night' (think Fruits) and for our Great Depression themed flat warming party, I discovered that I've been a part of (or always been stylistically aiming for) Steam Punk. I'd never heard of it before, but found it as s subheading for some dresses I was looking at. I googled it (and have been readinghttp://mancmath.blogspot.com/2009/01/i-think-i-found-my-new-subculture.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Lodger)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31744955.post-2728098927155331127Sun, 04 Jan 2009 18:14:00 +00002009-01-04T18:16:28.133+00:00randomTakeru Kobayashi, world eating champion. Versus a bear. I think it speaks for itself. Be sure to catch the "coming next" part at the end. I thought this was looked a bit like a video from the Onion. It's not.http://mancmath.blogspot.com/2009/01/kobayashi-and-bear.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Philonous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31744955.post-2747788417303465896Mon, 29 Dec 2008 13:32:00 +00002008-12-29T14:02:27.983+00:00coffee Rab C Nesbitt up to his usual string vested eloquence, this time in a coffee bar: There you go. One tall latte. What happened to small, medium and large?Does it matter? It's the same thing.Well if it's the same thing, why change it? Do you want me to tell you why it's not the same thing?That's two pounds please.That's it. That's your answer right there: two quid. For a half-cup of milky steam http://mancmath.blogspot.com/2008/12/scotlands-incomprehensible-bard-on.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Philonous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31744955.post-8331534101703249496Wed, 24 Dec 2008 03:53:00 +00002008-12-24T04:46:52.141+00:00 En fait c'est un peu comme la seduction de danguer.WARNING: what follows is by no means consequentialist, more than likely well felt but not well meant and the epitome of hypocracy:Two ideologies, both alike in dignity, in fair Manchester, where we lay our scene, from ancient grudge break to new mutiny...On the one hand, it'd be great to live the essentially selfish life of an academic: Living http://mancmath.blogspot.com/2008/12/confessions-of-ango-indian-kierkegaard.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Philonous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31744955.post-4326297441673815061Sat, 13 Dec 2008 19:44:00 +00002008-12-13T19:50:39.064+00:00cyclingAfter last week's great I Bike MCR alleycat, I've been inspired by my part time messenger team-mate to maybe give messengering a go at some point. Check out this characteristically American take on the 'urban sport'. I can't imagine doing it in San Fransisco with all those hills though... And Part II Apparently in these days of credit crunch economics however, messenger jobs are becoming http://mancmath.blogspot.com/2008/12/messenger-antics.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Philonous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31744955.post-68147591528379660Thu, 11 Dec 2008 09:53:00 +00002008-12-11T10:23:03.410+00:00interesting musicOne of my father's lasting legacies on my life will probably be the music I was exposed to as a child. The Bangles and Micheal Jackson not withstanding, I've been trawling the internet to try and find some of the Indian tunes which I have in my head. This has proved to be a rather more challenging task than one might expect - many of the songs are in Hindi, which I don't understand. My attempts http://mancmath.blogspot.com/2008/12/notes-from-my-father.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Philonous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31744955.post-5391064364912580507Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:58:00 +00002008-11-10T16:13:44.175+00:00Well, I've missed some exciting stuff. I'm so glad to hear that Philonious has survived a tussle with a taxi. That's terrible. I'm settling into my new role at a fantastically progressive museum in Massillon, Ohio, normally known for football (and it's tiger). The museum changes exhibitions frequently, and has a small staff, so we're very flexible and involved. I just made a display about http://mancmath.blogspot.com/2008/11/update.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Lodger)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31744955.post-6730609531030419328Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:55:00 +00002008-10-31T01:25:18.992+00:00culturefilm Today, Le Fox, a mathematician friend and I went down to our local art-house cinema to see Die Welle, or The Wave, a new German film. The story follows a 'cool' Ramones loving history/politics teacher who gets lumbered with teaching the Autocracy class rather than the Anarchy class as he'd originally wanted. The film follows an experiment in which he forms a sort of cult/gang/movement called Thehttp://mancmath.blogspot.com/2008/10/nouvelle-vague.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Philonous)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31744955.post-6537345935211348384Wed, 22 Oct 2008 10:12:00 +00002008-10-22T12:28:08.707+01:00cyclingManchesterYesterday, I was cycling down Princess Street yesterday university-wards when I was involved in an altercation with a taxi. As I came to the junction with Whitworth Street, the traffic light turned green. Just ahead of me (I could touch his bumper) was a taxi signalling to turn left. As I was in a cycle lane, I assumed that I had thr right of way and carried on straight ahead thinking that he http://mancmath.blogspot.com/2008/10/to-taxi-driver-who-ran-me-over.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Philonous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31744955.post-7265543409216574309Tue, 14 Oct 2008 08:52:00 +00002008-10-14T10:20:13.182+01:00alleycatcyclingManchesterIt's been a while since I've written anything. There are probably good reasons for that, but let me just give you some indication of the *mindblowing* things I've been doing during that time.Last Friday, a few of us from the maths department decided to go on the I Bike MCR mini-festival's Dynamic Duo Superhero Treasure/Alley Cat. For those of you that haven't heard of alleycats before, they are http://mancmath.blogspot.com/2008/10/alleycat.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Philonous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31744955.post-4171627937588519925Fri, 26 Sep 2008 11:13:00 +00002008-09-26T12:18:50.210+01:00Very amusing quote from the New York Times today: "The situation is like that movie trailer where a guy with a deep, scary voice says, ‘In a world where credit markets are frozen, where banks refuse to lend to each other at any price, only one man, with one plan can save us.’"JARED BERNSTEIN, of the Economic Policy Institute, on the push for a financial bailout. Do you think I've chosen the http://mancmath.blogspot.com/2008/09/impending-financial-doom.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Lodger)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31744955.post-4658860262640390995Fri, 26 Sep 2008 07:13:00 +00002008-09-26T08:29:41.604+01:00cycling For those of you that haven't heard. There's Critical Mass tonight! No matter what city you find yourself (see picture for Budapest), as long as you have a bike handy, there will be people cyling round at some point in the evening.Here in Manchester, the ride is supposed to start at 6pm from the Central library front door in St Peter's Square. It should be fairly good fun and I'd imagine http://mancmath.blogspot.com/2008/09/critical-mass-tonight.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Philonous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31744955.post-8761682676777802359Sun, 21 Sep 2008 12:57:00 +00002008-09-21T14:42:07.585+01:00philosophy In his Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes coined his most famous phrase Cogito, ergo sum. (or 'I think therefore I am'). I was wandering through a bookshop the other day and noticed a book called The Last Word by Thomas Nagel, an American philosopher based at NYU. It seems (from the introduction - I'm not so good at the ol' reading lark yet...) that the idea of this book is http://mancmath.blogspot.com/2008/09/thoughts-about-cogito.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Philonous)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31744955.post-679821514823707338Fri, 19 Sep 2008 07:49:00 +00002008-09-19T12:09:48.206+01:00randombeatpeatboatsbeenpearsboastbeenmoats These are all words for which removing any one letter always produces another word. Someone asked me for a longer one. Any ideas?http://mancmath.blogspot.com/2008/09/beat-peat-boats-been-pears-boast-been.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Philonous)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31744955.post-4037378539250613286Thu, 18 Sep 2008 07:31:00 +00002008-09-18T09:18:26.347+01:00randomThat's right. Not Dvořák. Dvorak. If, like me, you grew up a philistine, you'll probably share with me the experience of discovering that there was a Czech composer called Antonín Dvořák having already seen the option in Windows 3.1 to switch to a Dvorak keyboard layout. Curious, thought I, that he was named after a keyboard layout that I assumed was named, like qwerty, by taking at random a http://mancmath.blogspot.com/2008/09/blog-post.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Philonous)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31744955.post-2053713378456651273Wed, 17 Sep 2008 08:18:00 +00002008-09-17T09:45:00.659+01:00randomxkcd Now that GPS has been around for a little while and the devices and chips come down in price, various games have sprung up around the technology. More well-known are things like GeoCashing (a GPS-based treasure hunt) and many more... I came across a concept called Geohashing today while trawling the internet. The original idea of geohash.org was to provide, given a location, a short URL whichhttp://mancmath.blogspot.com/2008/09/geohashing.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Philonous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31744955.post-8199517636011464231Tue, 16 Sep 2008 11:04:00 +00002008-09-16T12:04:00.685+01:00gamesmaths Are you au fait with finite simple groups? Well I know I'm certainly not.For the uninitiated, a group is a mathematical object which can be thought of as the collection of symmetries of some object. As for simple groups, I guess they can sort of be thought of as the basic buidling blocks of groups (whatever that means...)There's a classification of finite simple groups which is one of the great http://mancmath.blogspot.com/2008/09/sporadic-simple-games.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Philonous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31744955.post-5621483835107739945Mon, 15 Sep 2008 10:04:00 +00002008-09-15T12:12:56.040+01:0080sculturemusic Remember the 80s? Don't answer that. Those ten years made up the best possible tribute to that most hallowed of musical forms - the Power Ballad. I was listening to Bonnie Tyler's Total eclipse of the heart today and thought it sounded rather like Meatloaf. Indeed, it sounded like a lot of songs I remember from the 80s. I discovered that in fact there was a much more tangible link between http://mancmath.blogspot.com/2008/09/power-ballad-conspiracy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Philonous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31744955.post-378441362967049508Sun, 14 Sep 2008 11:00:00 +00002008-09-15T12:59:25.408+01:00musicThis time I decided to go classical on your asses. You are listening to: Vi ricorda ò boschi ombrosi from the (first surviving) opera Orfeo by Monteverdi. Performed by the Savall ensemble.Una Furtiva Lagrima from Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore. Pavarotti.Now is the month of maying by Thomas Morely. Performed by the King's Singers as part of the Madrigal History Tour (hoho!)2nd movement (http://mancmath.blogspot.com/2008/09/little-music-for-all-hours.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Philonous)0