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Pi is wrong!
I’m still rummaging through my copy of Where Mathematics Comes From, reveling in each revolutionary detail. It represents such an upheaval in my understanding of math, I started feeling more free to question basic mathematical concepts. Lately I’ve been wondering about the mystical value of Pi. Why do we divide a circle’s circumference by its…
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Movie: Quinceanera (2006)
I felt like I learned something about Hispanic culture in Los Angeles from this movie, which is a measure of success even for pure fiction. A Quinceañera is a girl’s fifteenth birthday, and the introduction plunges you into a youthful world. Characters who identify with their cellphones are plunged into adulthood when confronted with a…
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Cheesehead Ranch Climbing Festival – Dark Side
It feels like it will be a hot day, so we go to the Dark Side to look for shade. The views and flowers at The Bank Campground are enough to make me giddy. Bright sun shines on many wildflowers, while the snowy Sange de Christo mountains loom over the southern horizon. It turns out…
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Cheesehead Ranch Climbing Festival – Mural Wall
I’ve been fighting a cold all week, but I’m determined to make it down to Shelf Road with Ann, Doug, Liz, Kate, Mark and many other climbing friends for the annual gathering at Cheesehead Ranch, a generous climber’s spread near the crag. I’m still watery-eyed and runny-nosed as we set up camp Friday night. Saturday…
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Movie: Idiocracy (2006)
An ideal movie to watch while sick at home and writing some simple code for a project. The vision of a future world buried in garbage and with a professional wrestler as president of the US is great, but you have to sit through too much formula without enough of this kind of good stuff.…
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South Ben Tyler Trail Hike
We had planned an attempt to climb Mt. Sherman with my Dad, but upon reaching Kenosha pass we decide it looks too snowy and stormy. Instead we drive in to the South Ben Tyler Trailhead and follow the Ben Tyler trail up into the Kenosha Mountains. There are some thunderstorms, but the hiking remains quite…
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Geo Mashup 1.0.3 Release
A few more bug fixes, some that appeared in recent Google Maps API versions. I’m getting close to a new beta release with some fun new toys, so don’t think that 1.0.x is the end of the line for Geo Mashup. The new goods: Added French translation by obagot. Added some corrective CSS to help…
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Movie: Broken Flowers (2005)
I like this movie better after letting it sit in my mind for a while. As with most Jim Jarmush movies I feel like I’m missing some things, but it did give me a distinct impression of how the mind can operate. I’m reminded of Robert Anton Wilson’s theory of the Thinker and the Prover:…
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Getting the hang of Vedauwoo 5.7s
Not that they don’t still scare me, but I’m starting to gain just a little confidence on 5.7 Vedauwoo cracks. Sean and Colin join Ann, Kate, and me for some more quality time on the Nautilus. I start out on Ted’s Trot 5.7, which looks like an endless, grueling offwidth. To my relief it’s fairly…
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Twin Mountain Hike
Ann and I part ways today. She’s participating in a women’s climbing day, and I’m off to tramp around Vedauwoo. It doesn’t take long for me to reach unfamiliar terrain north of Reynold’s Hill. I find some roads and trails that go my way for a while, then turn away to parts unknown. I don’t…