Fish for Friday

Animated version by Dutch mathematician
Gert van der Heijden of M. C. Escher's drawing

Edited by Morris Dean

[Anonymous selections from recent correspondence]

Thanks for letting me have an advance look at tomorrow's fiction piece, "Tristram Shandy’s Marvelous Moebius Band." The animated GIF would be an apt illustration.
    And doesn't the image on the cover of Hofstadter's book remind you of Rebecca's "fantasy room"?

Here we go again: "Watch out, 'Cosmos'! The Holy Inquisition is not happy with you." The religious right attacks astrophysicist and "Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey" host Neil deGrasse Tyson's "agitprop for scientific materialism." Excerpt:

If you are the kind of Christian liable to get upset when scientists deploy their annoying facts to prove crazy stuff like their “theories” that the Earth is older than 6,000 years or that the universe began with a Big Bang, then the resurrection of “Cosmos” must be extremely irritating. First, those damned progressives stopped allowing the Church to burn heretics at the stake; now even Fox [which hosted "Cosmos"] is broadcasting “science” documentaries....

“Dog food lid” backwards is “Dildo of God.”

What you said about being reminded you'd once driven John Hope Franklin (1915-2009) from his home to a meeting in Raleigh reminded me of a good story I heard about him.
    It was in the days when African-Americans traveling in the South stayed at boarding houses, of a sort, where they could expect comfortable accommodations.
    Franklin was at one of these, just beginning his career, perhaps still a graduate student. Imagine his excitement to learn that Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois (1868-1963) was also there that night!
    The guests had gathered after the evening meal, Du Bois reading the paper. Franklin could not contain himself – who could? He approached the great man, introduced himself, and blurted out his admiration for Du Bois and his work, for which all could rightfully be thankful, and finally came to a somewhat shaky conclusion.
    DuBois had listened without expression the entire time, and without saying anything resumed reading his paper.

We're drifting toward oligarchy, maybe accelerating toward it: "Wealth Over Work." Excerpt:

Not only don’t most Americans own businesses, but business income, and income from capital in general, is increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few people. In 1979 the top 1 percent of households accounted for 17 percent of business income; by 2007 the same group was getting 43 percent of business income, and 75 percent of capital gains. Yet this small elite gets all of the G.O.P.’s love, and most of its policy attention.
    Why is this happening? Well, bear in mind that both Koch brothers are numbered among the 10 wealthiest Americans, and so are four Walmart heirs. Great wealth buys great political influence — and not just through campaign contributions. Many conservatives live inside an intellectual bubble of think tanks and captive media that is ultimately financed by a handful of megadonors. Not surprisingly, those inside the bubble tend to assume, instinctively, that what is good for oligarchs is good for America.

Apropos lane splitting, yeah, it looks safe:

More about creativity: "18 Things Highly Creative People Do Differently." Excerpt:

While there's no "typical" creative type, there are some tell-tale characteristics and behaviors of highly creative people. Here is one of 18 things they do differently.
    They work the hours that work for them.
    Many great artists have said that they do their best work either very early in the morning or late at night. Vladimir Nabokov started writing immediately after he woke up at 6 or 7 a.m., and Frank Lloyd Wright made a practice of waking up at 3 or 4 a.m. and working for several hours before heading back to bed. No matter when it is, individuals with high creative output will often figure out what time it is that their minds start firing up, and structure their days accordingly.

If you rent a house, you have a life. If you own a house, it owns you and runs your life.

North Korea and Finland are separated by one country.

    New York City is further south than Rome, Italy
    Alaska is simultaneously the most northern, the most western, and the most eastern state in the U.S.

An infinite number of mathematicians walk into a bar. The bartender says: “What’ll it be, boys?” The first mathematician: “I’ll have one half of a beer.” The second mathematician: “I’ll have one quarter of a beer.” The third mathematician: “I’ll have one eight of a beer.” The fourth mathematician: “I’ll have one sixteenth of a…” The bartender interrupts: “Know your limits, boys” as he pours out a single beer.

What does the “B” in Benoit B Mandelbrot stand for? Answer: Benoit B Mandelbrot.

The year was 1955:
    "The fast food restaurant is convenient for a quick meal, but I seriously doubt they will ever catch on."

"There is no sense going on short trips anymore for a weekend. It costs nearly $2.00 a night to stay in a hotel."

"No one can afford to be sick anymore. At $15.00 a day in the hospital, it's too rich for my blood.

"If they think I'll pay 30 cents for a haircut, forget it."

Limerick of the Week:

A writer-director is a hyphenate,
so is your wife if she's your best friend-mate –
    or your hubby,
    if you're clubby,
and got married to a man who's gay-straight.

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Copyright © 2014 by Morris Dean

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