tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762878187346313358.post6538594774592221638..comments2023-09-01T04:29:11.256-04:00Comments on Suburban Soliloquy: Friday Night Frolic — Enumerating StoryJaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06694559900539722616noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762878187346313358.post-62402947966536998172012-05-25T19:22:34.973-04:002012-05-25T19:22:34.973-04:00Feynman was an amazing guy. He did great things in...Feynman was an amazing guy. He did great things in theoretical physics (the Feynman diagrams), and wrote some cool books, both the anecdotes (Surely You're Joking ...) and the Feynman Lectures on Physics (3 volumes). I have all of them in my shelf >:)CA Heavenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07558100567878233142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762878187346313358.post-84868720830671532742012-05-25T15:31:03.857-04:002012-05-25T15:31:03.857-04:00Okay, take two identical gears, A and B, and inter...Okay, take two identical gears, A and B, and interlock their teeth. Turn A clockwise; notice that B turns <em>counter</em>-clockwise. Now separate them by exactly a gear's-diameter of space, and in that empty space place a third (matching) gear. Turn A clockwise; C turns counter-clockwise; and B now turns clockwise.<br /><br />Sorry. I just had to try.<br /><br />Have you read <a href="http://johnesimpson.com/blog/2011/03/book-review-the-sparrow-by-mary-doria-russell/" rel="nofollow"><em>The Sparrow</em></a>? I'm pretty sure its author, Mary Doria Russell, didn't know much about space flight before setting out to write a novel whose plot required it. And she wasn't -- at least in my opinion -- really writing science fiction anyway; she had Bigger Issues on her mind. (Although from a certain perspective, there's no Bigger Issue than, well, the universe.) There's your role model. :)JEShttp://johnesimpson.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762878187346313358.post-14605388921808083102012-05-24T13:56:22.886-04:002012-05-24T13:56:22.886-04:00What? I cannot comprehend! LOL! Leonora- one needs...What? I cannot comprehend! LOL! Leonora- one needs a young, supple brain for <em>that</em> calculation. Poor youngest at least has that, and I'll bet she did well by it! <br /><br />Now I can talk plots and domains, but once you start talking z-scores no matter how many times squared and powered, well, I'm just a bundle of befuddlement. Yes, 12 sounds like the right number to me, too. <br /><br />And the dark side of the moon is actually very cool. ;)Jaynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06694559900539722616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762878187346313358.post-53549775016668842802012-05-24T13:51:24.816-04:002012-05-24T13:51:24.816-04:00Bill- we share a brain. Or have a similar brain? N...Bill- we share a brain. Or have a similar brain? No, ha! I'm thinking about how my husband likes to joke that I share a brain with my sisters. Whenever I don't have an answer or have the <em>wrong</em> answer, he likes to say, <em>"Oh, Betty (or Mary) must have the brain today."</em><br /><br />That's Ok, Bill. We'll stick with the words. I think it's a safer bet. ;)Jaynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06694559900539722616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762878187346313358.post-49158021155528631732012-05-24T13:47:58.091-04:002012-05-24T13:47:58.091-04:00"It was like learning that if you just shifte..."It was like learning that if you just shifted two gears out of alignment, and added a third gear, you could make one of the original gears turn in the opposite direction." JES, I wish you'd been in high school with me to explain math in these terms. Although, I'm still struggling a bit to visualize how these gears switch direction. Give me a word problem! Aside from geometry, that's the only other kind of math in which I had any success. (It's not fair--some people have all the good fortune to pull from all angles of the brain, but I am not one of them!)<br /><br />Fiction of my own. Maybe I should try sci-fi? Somehow, I think a little story tossed with a few numbers or scientific equations, in my case, would not equate to elegance. I haven't yet figured out elegance. But I will forever refer to Grace Kelly for guidance (maybe there's a story in there somewhere.;).Jaynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06694559900539722616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762878187346313358.post-47196091662812984042012-05-24T13:34:25.535-04:002012-05-24T13:34:25.535-04:00Oh Marylinn, please tell me how the universe works...Oh Marylinn, please tell me how the universe works! I know that you, more so than many others, can this, and quite eloquently I feel like I haven't been to the Discovery Channel in ages. Probably because I haven't. There was a time I was often there with the kids but it seems like that time has passed and that there's now little time for any of that. (I think I've lost my sense-making ability--as if I ever had it.)<br /><br />Some of that "little time," though, is self-imposed: when the kids first started school we instituted a NO TV policy for the duration of the school week. It's still in force and I think it's done wonders in terms of getting them to read books (like Bradbury's Fahrenheit). We haven't been so successful with limiting technology--which they can sneak into their rooms--but I'm working on it, as well as working on occasionally breaking rules so they can see special broadcasts during the week. But that is more as a reward for their hard work, as we could as easily tape the shows and watch them during the weekend. But then, but then... soccer and lacrosse and commitments, and lordy, who has time to watch TV on the weekend?! Here I go, going on again--see, give me one short break in the day and I will VENT!<br /><br />But thank you, Marylinn, for pointing out how Bradbury did, indeed, if not invent, redefine atmosphere. It was so exciting for me to read him as a child or very young adult, and none of that enthusiasm has dulled, and it has a lot to do with the fantastical atmosphere he created. Forty years later, for this reader, it's still as bright as ever. (And yes, I could talk about it forever. :))Jaynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06694559900539722616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762878187346313358.post-43323711443278631872012-05-24T08:29:21.967-04:002012-05-24T08:29:21.967-04:00Michael-- this made me laugh! Proud of failing Alg...Michael-- this made me laugh! Proud of failing Algebra. Good for you for finding a skilled tutor and setting the parameters. I did not have that kind of determination until I realized I wouldn't be picking up my college diploma unless I passed a math course. Got through it just in the nick of time, but not as successfully as you. ;)Jaynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06694559900539722616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762878187346313358.post-54731572796824345352012-05-24T08:24:28.494-04:002012-05-24T08:24:28.494-04:00Susan- Agree, we can take it to mean all that. I t...Susan- Agree, we can take it to mean all that. I think Burns confirms, essentially, what we all seek to understand--the greater meaning of life. And artists, through their creative endeavors, whether story or painting or any other form of art, have a tendency to find what resonates in us all, and remind us "that it's just Ok."Jaynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06694559900539722616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762878187346313358.post-5013946867424006542012-05-23T06:57:32.731-04:002012-05-23T06:57:32.731-04:00Poor youngest took her Algebra final yesterday. Th...Poor youngest took her Algebra final yesterday. This was her facebook post: SOL question: f(x)= the sum of the given z-score squared to the tenth power of a shown plot which is greater than the variance of a domain not equal to zero.<br />Me: "Hmmm... 12 sounds like a lucky number!"<br /><br />It's all about left brain vs. right brain. To be whole-brained would be pure bliss. My left brain is always on the dark side of the moon.Leonorahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04701518822526054010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762878187346313358.post-2218628355793733322012-05-22T13:45:38.652-04:002012-05-22T13:45:38.652-04:00Jayne, you have perfectly described the way my bra...Jayne, you have perfectly described the way my brain works. Math is a foreign language that I will never completely comprehend, but words and piecing them together, this is what I know and what I love.William Dameronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10129769129251689759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762878187346313358.post-167650322640345422012-05-22T12:14:07.588-04:002012-05-22T12:14:07.588-04:00Math: I kind of liked it all through high school (...Math: I kind of liked it all through high school (I actually had two semesters of calculus), and liked sort of fooling around with it once I started to see how the numbers did/didn't fit together. It was like learning that if you just shifted two gears out of alignment, and added a <em>third</em> gear, you could make one of the original gears turn in the opposite direction. But I never took another math class afterwards. Now that I'm thinking about it, the same thing happened with physics: came to a full-dead stop in college. "Sorry, too busy!" (with, y'know, fuzzy-messy things like words and sentences). Turning to computers years later may have been, in part, an attempt to turn back time to my high-school preoccupations.<br /><br />LOVED the Ken Burns short. And you singled out exactly the right moments to draw our attention to.<br /><br />You better get some fiction of your own together ASAP. Nothing can more assuredly convince you why you like to write fiction than, well, the act of writing fiction. You'll see. (Or maybe you already see; for all I know you've been stealing from blog-writing time to write elegant little storylets on the side, and <em>keep them to yourself</em>, damn you. :))JEShttp://johnesimpson.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762878187346313358.post-47847303067433487322012-05-22T11:56:22.005-04:002012-05-22T11:56:22.005-04:00Finally catching up with episodes of "How the...Finally catching up with episodes of "How the Universe Works" and the way in which, it seems, all knowledge of EVERYTHING is based on math, leaves me in awe. And yet, I believe artists/writers/right-brain types also have access to the great mysteries, not with hard data but with a different sort of knowing. They give Nobel prizes for literature and science. Currently, and with many interruptions, rereading "Farenheit 451," I find that Bradbury has a way to make me fall in love all over again with what is already part of my heart, as his quote about the library confirms. It may be that he invented, or certainly redefined atmosphere, whether on Mars or in the whistle of the carnival train. Story. Couldn't we go on forever just talking about it? xoMarylinn Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02759437467691163658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762878187346313358.post-70555234862011334772012-05-21T17:07:55.259-04:002012-05-21T17:07:55.259-04:00I'm not sure that achieving a certain emotiona...I'm not sure that achieving a certain emotional effect in film is tantamount to manipulation, provided the motives are pure. But on the topic of Algebra: it was the only course I failed in high school and was ultimately proud I did. Because I hired a teacher from my high school to tutor me. We had one rule: I could stop and ask as many questions as I wanted. I graduated with a high "B" and because he was a great teacher, the subject was actually interesting.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16539850495318868267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762878187346313358.post-48708157492763610132012-05-21T15:17:10.015-04:002012-05-21T15:17:10.015-04:00I wonder if, in fact, Ken Burns' words, "...I wonder if, in fact, Ken Burns' words, "Keeping wolves from the door. Continuing ourselves," don't apply to our experience of creative endeavor in whatever form. Fiction, non-fiction, art, music, poetry, all ways to create a life of greater depth and breadth than the one we'd have without the arts.Susan Scheidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09250142489341777926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762878187346313358.post-40693325099423377342012-05-21T12:19:16.016-04:002012-05-21T12:19:16.016-04:00Well, Amanda, I'm glad you're digging up s...Well, Amanda, I'm glad you're digging up some stories! I'm having fun reading them. :)Jaynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06694559900539722616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762878187346313358.post-17421550956313351782012-05-21T12:17:47.403-04:002012-05-21T12:17:47.403-04:00I know, m, ouch. 'Tis true. What can I say, te...I know, m, ouch. 'Tis true. What can I say, terribly flawed I am. ;)<br /><br /><em>Liking</em> something is the trick, isn't it? I wonder if I'd had a really interesting math teacher, someone who made math dance for me, would it have been different? I can't recall one teacher that was able to make math sing or dance. Is it possible? Heh.<br /><br />Oh, <em>The Cat's Pajamas</em>! That man has written so many wonderful stories. My favorite, I'd have to say, is <em>The Illustrated Man</em>. Fascinating story. I keep trying to get my son to read it, but he's resisting, which is odd as he enjoys sic-fi/fantasy. (The problem of course: it's Mother's recommendation.) Some day...<br /><br />I'm enjoying discussing <em>Something Wicked</em> with Lu. It's funny though, she doesn't want to spend too much time thinking about it at home since it's discussed in her class at school. Still, I think she's getting a kick out having me read along. :)Jaynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06694559900539722616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762878187346313358.post-83172596570746862302012-05-21T12:10:13.544-04:002012-05-21T12:10:13.544-04:00It's never too late to frolic, Nessa!
Hank t...It's never too late to frolic, Nessa! <br /><br />Hank the Cowdog. That's funny. You know Hank has his own website (games and more!) now? Working on a movie too--per the www. Make sure you tell your brother (if he doesn't already know it)! ;)Jaynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06694559900539722616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762878187346313358.post-20781173444420260192012-05-21T12:04:54.082-04:002012-05-21T12:04:54.082-04:00Thanks Laoch. :)Thanks Laoch. :)Jaynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06694559900539722616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762878187346313358.post-79543784209516137892012-05-21T12:04:40.197-04:002012-05-21T12:04:40.197-04:00Suze- There's been so much talk about recent n...Suze- There's been so much talk about recent non-fiction books that stretch the truth that I think the idea of non-fiction is getting a bit convoluted. I mean, the truth is what we remember. Unless every factoid has been fully documented there is no way to reproduce events precisely as they occurred. And even if we could reproduce such events, I think we'd still question to the reality or truth of them!<br /><br />I think Burns makes a really good point regarding this matter. He does it simply, too. I think of David Sedaris, who writes about his life but definitely stretches or bends truth in order to make it more humorous. I don't really see anything wrong with this. Finding humor in our lives is what keeps us sane, and the reading interesting! (Love that Sedaris,) :)Jaynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06694559900539722616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762878187346313358.post-74472995795019884192012-05-21T11:58:59.874-04:002012-05-21T11:58:59.874-04:00Ok, so I do actually get income statements and bal...Ok, so I <em>do</em> actually get income statements and balance sheets--the bottom line, that is. I'm not in the business of analyzing them though (thank goodness I have a partner who does this). Years ago I worked for a company as it went public, and I remember being fascinated by annual reports. No so much any more. I'd almost rather not look at them!<br /><br />Ratios and projections. Hmm....Jaynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06694559900539722616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762878187346313358.post-4019872582609174912012-05-21T11:55:09.359-04:002012-05-21T11:55:09.359-04:00Ha! Elizabeth--that cell phone sure does come in h...Ha! Elizabeth--that cell phone sure does come in handy doesn't it? ;)Jaynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06694559900539722616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762878187346313358.post-49496113626686368612012-05-21T11:54:38.846-04:002012-05-21T11:54:38.846-04:00Cold, you renaissance man, don't I wish I coul...Cold, you renaissance man, don't I wish I could work all sides of the brain. Yes, and I don't necessarily think there is a contradiction between math and writing--certainly some of our most famous mathematicians and scientists have also been excellent writers. (Plato, Lewis Carroll, Richard Feynman.) I just find this ability to be quite remarkable.Jaynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06694559900539722616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762878187346313358.post-10353929495731631972012-05-21T11:49:51.940-04:002012-05-21T11:49:51.940-04:00'some of us have to write and some of us have ...'some of us have to write and some of us have to tell stories'.....this has been on my mind a lot lately. thank you for this fascinating and insightful post.Amanda Summerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00942636545948440422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762878187346313358.post-16036002259358181022012-05-21T11:48:36.324-04:002012-05-21T11:48:36.324-04:00Robert- You give me hope. (Yet, even with calculat...Robert- You give me hope. (Yet, even with calculators and computers, I'm a disaster.) This is a great story, and I would have never guessed that you are challenged in any mathematical way. I think kinetic, or tactile, learning is the very best way for a thing to really sink in. I see it with my kids. If they can touch, feel, or have some kind of sensory experience relative to the particular subject they're studying it's much easier for them to remember and retain what they've been taught. Makes perfect sense. ;)Jaynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06694559900539722616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762878187346313358.post-81758656323362204262012-05-21T11:43:53.292-04:002012-05-21T11:43:53.292-04:00Rubye- I'm a whole lot more fascinated by the ...Rubye- I'm a whole lot more fascinated by the idea of string theory, myself. Yet, I'm still not interested in learning anything more than basic arithmetic. Percentages are helpful, and in a former profession, I used math adequately, but it took me a while to get there. <br /><br />In college, I had to have at least one math class in order to graduate. My older brother, who went to the same school, had to tutor me through Math 109 (after I had dropped it thrice before!). And I passed it (finally taking and completing it in the summer) by the skin of my teeth. Ugh. Complete failure on that front.<br /><br />My poor kids-- both their parents are math challenged--they're on their own when it comes to high school math!Jaynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06694559900539722616noreply@blogger.com