Mark L.
@dashdash.bsky.social
Reader, coder, lay math enthusiast, classic-film nerd, and all-around retrophile. Fan of science, rationality, and democracy.
Be kind, never stop learning.
Be kind, never stop learning.
Reposted by Mark L.
A pigeon held for eight months on suspicion of spying for China has been released after Indian authorities determined it was no avian agent of espionage, but a disoriented Taiwanese racing bird that had lost its way.
Pigeon accused of spying for China freed in India after 8-month detention
Some countries have a history of avian reconnaissance, but it turns out this jailbird was just a Taiwanese racing pigeon that had lost its way.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 6, 2024 at 5:03 PM
A pigeon held for eight months on suspicion of spying for China has been released after Indian authorities determined it was no avian agent of espionage, but a disoriented Taiwanese racing bird that had lost its way.
Reposted by Mark L.
Today's December Comfort Watch: Hidden Figures, a film that told me a story I didn't know before, within the limits of the ability of Hollywood to tell history at all, both as a matter of drama and as a matter of reaching a general audience:
whatever.scalzi.com/2023/12/19/t...
whatever.scalzi.com/2023/12/19/t...
December 19, 2023 at 4:19 PM
Today's December Comfort Watch: Hidden Figures, a film that told me a story I didn't know before, within the limits of the ability of Hollywood to tell history at all, both as a matter of drama and as a matter of reaching a general audience:
whatever.scalzi.com/2023/12/19/t...
whatever.scalzi.com/2023/12/19/t...
Reposted by Mark L.
If you cannot make money on the most entertaining animation of the medium's entire history you are probably very bad at your job.
November 27, 2023 at 11:12 PM
If you cannot make money on the most entertaining animation of the medium's entire history you are probably very bad at your job.
Reposted by Mark L.
There’s a Moms for Lib candidate in my local school board race. She advocated for civil war when Trump lost re-election and has been banned from school events for harassing gay students.
Voting in your local elections will have the biggest impact on your personal quality of life.
Voting in your local elections will have the biggest impact on your personal quality of life.
Hey Americans, feeling politically powerless? You have an election tomorrow. Fascists are targeting those boring state and local positions and using them for everything from abortion restrictions to book bans to criminalizing trans healthcare. It's up to you to stop them.
November 6, 2023 at 3:01 PM
There’s a Moms for Lib candidate in my local school board race. She advocated for civil war when Trump lost re-election and has been banned from school events for harassing gay students.
Voting in your local elections will have the biggest impact on your personal quality of life.
Voting in your local elections will have the biggest impact on your personal quality of life.
Reposted by Mark L.
I just posted two video lectures from my undergrad complex analysis course. They both involve beautiful mathematical arguments – I hope you enjoy them!
Cauchy’s theorem
youtu.be/AjrkNlgwT_U
Jordan’s lemma
youtu.be/C5rukxDDW8U
Cauchy’s theorem
youtu.be/AjrkNlgwT_U
Jordan’s lemma
youtu.be/C5rukxDDW8U
Complex analysis: Cauchy's theorem
This is a lecture recorded by Prof. Steven Strogatz for his undergraduate class on "Applied Complex Analysis" at Cornell University. In this lecture, Prof. S...
youtu.be
October 31, 2023 at 9:36 PM
I just posted two video lectures from my undergrad complex analysis course. They both involve beautiful mathematical arguments – I hope you enjoy them!
Cauchy’s theorem
youtu.be/AjrkNlgwT_U
Jordan’s lemma
youtu.be/C5rukxDDW8U
Cauchy’s theorem
youtu.be/AjrkNlgwT_U
Jordan’s lemma
youtu.be/C5rukxDDW8U
Reposted by Mark L.
If you're a fan of Jose Ferrer, then tonight's your night on TCM: "Cyrano de Bergerac" starts it off, followed by "I Accuse!" and "Moulin Rouge", (French-themed movies, anyone?) and in the wee hours of the morning, the little-known and underrated "Crisis", also starring some guy named Cary Grant…
October 12, 2023 at 8:52 PM
If you're a fan of Jose Ferrer, then tonight's your night on TCM: "Cyrano de Bergerac" starts it off, followed by "I Accuse!" and "Moulin Rouge", (French-themed movies, anyone?) and in the wee hours of the morning, the little-known and underrated "Crisis", also starring some guy named Cary Grant…
Now that it finally actually *feels* like October, it's time to go into fall reading mode. Ray Bradbury books, I'm looking at you...
October 10, 2023 at 4:43 PM
Now that it finally actually *feels* like October, it's time to go into fall reading mode. Ray Bradbury books, I'm looking at you...
Reposted by Mark L.
Snowy egret, fishing.
It was delightful to watch it stirring the water with its foot to disturb hidden prey. sora.unm.edu/sites/defaul...
It was delightful to watch it stirring the water with its foot to disturb hidden prey. sora.unm.edu/sites/defaul...
October 10, 2023 at 3:37 PM
Snowy egret, fishing.
It was delightful to watch it stirring the water with its foot to disturb hidden prey. sora.unm.edu/sites/defaul...
It was delightful to watch it stirring the water with its foot to disturb hidden prey. sora.unm.edu/sites/defaul...
Reposted by Mark L.
A male crab spider waits to give a an unsuspecting pollinator a hug. Crab spiders don't build webs, while some will wander to catch prey most species are ambush predators. 🧪🌿 #invertebrate #arachtober
Northern Crab Spider (Mecaphesa asperata)
Northern Crab Spider (Mecaphesa asperata)
October 9, 2023 at 11:17 PM
A male crab spider waits to give a an unsuspecting pollinator a hug. Crab spiders don't build webs, while some will wander to catch prey most species are ambush predators. 🧪🌿 #invertebrate #arachtober
Northern Crab Spider (Mecaphesa asperata)
Northern Crab Spider (Mecaphesa asperata)
@capitalweather.bsky.social Happy to see you active here as I no longer want anything to do with Twitter. Anyway, just wanted to pass along my appreciation for what you guys do. You make weather nerdy and fun, as it should be. Extra props to Justin Grieser for his articles on sun-earth relations 😀
September 22, 2023 at 4:45 PM
@capitalweather.bsky.social Happy to see you active here as I no longer want anything to do with Twitter. Anyway, just wanted to pass along my appreciation for what you guys do. You make weather nerdy and fun, as it should be. Extra props to Justin Grieser for his articles on sun-earth relations 😀
Reposted by Mark L.
Went on StarTalk to speak with Neal deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice about physics and philosophy.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmly...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmly...
September 21, 2023 at 11:59 AM
Went on StarTalk to speak with Neal deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice about physics and philosophy.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmly...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmly...
Reposted by Mark L.
Northern lights were visible into Virginia last night! www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023...
September 19, 2023 at 6:17 PM
Northern lights were visible into Virginia last night! www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023...
Today I learned that MathsJams—"a monthly opportunity for … self-confessed maths enthusiasts to get together in a pub and share stuff they like"—is a thing, and I now really wish there were one in my area. Next jam is tomorrow evening; maybe I'll just head to 7 Locks with a Martin Gardner book… :)
MathsJam
mathsjam.com
September 19, 2023 at 3:06 AM
Today I learned that MathsJams—"a monthly opportunity for … self-confessed maths enthusiasts to get together in a pub and share stuff they like"—is a thing, and I now really wish there were one in my area. Next jam is tomorrow evening; maybe I'll just head to 7 Locks with a Martin Gardner book… :)
@stevenstrogatz.bsky.social Very happy to see you here, as your books and talks are almost single-handedly responsible for rekindling my interest in mathematics. Thank you for all your efforts in bringing the beauty and power (and fun!) of math to wider audiences. Hoping you'll continue that here :)
September 19, 2023 at 1:51 AM
@stevenstrogatz.bsky.social Very happy to see you here, as your books and talks are almost single-handedly responsible for rekindling my interest in mathematics. Thank you for all your efforts in bringing the beauty and power (and fun!) of math to wider audiences. Hoping you'll continue that here :)
Reposted by Mark L.
Bird Photographer of the Year 2023 highlights avian attitudes and winged wonders around the world.
www.thisiscolossal.com/2023/09/bird...
www.thisiscolossal.com/2023/09/bird...
September 6, 2023 at 3:16 PM
Bird Photographer of the Year 2023 highlights avian attitudes and winged wonders around the world.
www.thisiscolossal.com/2023/09/bird...
www.thisiscolossal.com/2023/09/bird...
Today is September 1st, thus the first day of meteorological fall, thus I am now permitted to partake of various pumpkin-flavored beverages (Dogfish Head Punkin Ale, I'm looking at you...)
September 1, 2023 at 8:38 PM
Today is September 1st, thus the first day of meteorological fall, thus I am now permitted to partake of various pumpkin-flavored beverages (Dogfish Head Punkin Ale, I'm looking at you...)
Clive Thompson on how reading (and, where so inspired, memorizing) poetry changes you: clivethompson.medium.com/the-curious-...
It's the first time I've read the poem that gave title to Ray Bradbury's superb story "There Will Come Soft Rains" and, this year especially, that poem really hits home.
It's the first time I've read the poem that gave title to Ray Bradbury's superb story "There Will Come Soft Rains" and, this year especially, that poem really hits home.
The Curious Power of Memorizing Poems
When literature lives inside your head, it shapes the fabric of your thought
clivethompson.medium.com
September 1, 2023 at 5:27 PM
Clive Thompson on how reading (and, where so inspired, memorizing) poetry changes you: clivethompson.medium.com/the-curious-...
It's the first time I've read the poem that gave title to Ray Bradbury's superb story "There Will Come Soft Rains" and, this year especially, that poem really hits home.
It's the first time I've read the poem that gave title to Ray Bradbury's superb story "There Will Come Soft Rains" and, this year especially, that poem really hits home.
Reposted by Mark L.
New story: a group of scientists has concluded that our ancestors were almost entirely wiped out almost a million years ago. www.nytimes.com/2023/08/31/s...
August 31, 2023 at 6:02 PM
New story: a group of scientists has concluded that our ancestors were almost entirely wiped out almost a million years ago. www.nytimes.com/2023/08/31/s...
Reposted by Mark L.
In JWST style, we're once again brought even clearer views of the remnant of the explosive death of a massive star 19 times the mass of the sun in the Large Magellanic Cloud, 160,000 light years away: SN1987A. It is the nearest supernova explosion seen (in 1987) since Kelper's supernova in 1604.
August 31, 2023 at 2:40 PM
In JWST style, we're once again brought even clearer views of the remnant of the explosive death of a massive star 19 times the mass of the sun in the Large Magellanic Cloud, 160,000 light years away: SN1987A. It is the nearest supernova explosion seen (in 1987) since Kelper's supernova in 1604.
Reposted by Mark L.
Evelyn was one of the first African American women to be awarded a PhD in mathematics in the United States. Granville earned acclaim for her contributions to US advances. She worked on software for Project Mercury and the Apollo programme, before returning to academia as a professor of mathematics.
Evelyn Boyd Granville, space-flight trailblazer (1924—2023)
Mathematician and programmer who transcended barriers of race and gender. Mathematician and programmer who transcended barriers of race and gender.
www.nature.com
August 12, 2023 at 5:18 PM
Evelyn was one of the first African American women to be awarded a PhD in mathematics in the United States. Granville earned acclaim for her contributions to US advances. She worked on software for Project Mercury and the Apollo programme, before returning to academia as a professor of mathematics.