Yearly Archives: 2005
Birthday Probability
September 14, 2005 – 11:23 pm
Joe Carter at the Evangelical Outpost refers to what he calls the “birthday paradox,” which really means that it’s surprisingly likely that two in a group of people will share the same birthday. I once worked with a professor who exploited this for his own amusement and the class’s education. He’d offer to make a […]
Four Years Ago
September 11, 2005 – 9:18 pm
Like most Americans, the events of that day horrified me and still do. I wish I could adequately express my respect for the men and women who died trying to save others’ lives, whether as first responders in Manhattan or passengers aboard Flight 93. I found these entries from blogs in my feed reader helpful […]
Google Maps of Katrina Damage
September 10, 2005 – 11:35 am
Check this out: go to Google Maps and search for “New Orleans.” Click “Satellite” to see the city before hurricane Katrina, then click “Katrina” to view the flooding. I think the amount of water is amazing.
Very Cool
September 9, 2005 – 8:31 am
Dave Williams has developed a refrigeration system that relies just on compressed air. Williams, 26, knew that forcing compressed air through a hole in the middle of a pipe causes hot and cold air to flow from opposite ends, a phenomenon known as the Ranque-Hilsch vortex-tube effect. No one is quite sure how the separation […]
Yahoo’s Ethical Dilemma
September 8, 2005 – 3:58 pm
Information Yahoo provided to Chinese authorities led to the essentially political arrest of journalist Shi Tao. Most of us would applaud Yahoo for providing information that led to the arrest of a murderer or a child-molester, in which cases Yahoo would similarly be helping local authorities enforce the law. However, what Yahoo did to Shi […]
New Again
September 6, 2005 – 6:38 pm
I love the first day of school. The air is just a little bit cooler, and all the students are excited about starting the school year–some of them about beginning college for the first time. I’m anticipating the classes I’m taking and the ones I’m teaching; I’m going to learn new things and maybe so […]