Monthly Archives: January 2011

Can learning and using another language change or even improve the way you think?  This question first came up after reading a fascinating article last week about experiments in cognitive psychology, considering natural languages.  My goal is to connect these ideas with computer … Continue reading →

This week I want to discuss two interesting subjects: sex and graph theory.  At the same time. Consider these rather intentionally vague questions as motivation: do men tend to have more sexual partners than women?  Or the other way around?  … Continue reading →

Last week I had a conversation at work about ideas for programming projects for students, and the Rubik’s cube was suggested as one idea.  There are many possible approaches to this problem, from merely modeling the cube and allowing a … Continue reading →

I suppose this post is at least in part a book review.  I recently finished reading Numbers Rule: The Vexing Mathematics of Democracy, From Plato to the Present, by George Szpiro.  If you have an interest in government, not just in … Continue reading →

This is the second time I have come across this particular anecdote in a few months, so I thought I would weigh in on it as well.  Last night I saw on Reddit that “The Earth is relatively smoother than … Continue reading →