Thursday, November 20, 2008

The Geometric Name for a Hula Hoop

I had trouble finding this information online, so I'm going to post it here to make it easier for others to find.

The geometric name for the shape of a Hula Hoop or a smoke ring (which are hollow) is a torus. If the shape is solid, like a donut or a ring, it's called a toroid.

Put another way, a torus is the surface area of a toroid, and a toroid is the shape enclosed by a torus.

You might hear a geometry geek at a basketball game root for the players to "put the sphere through the toroid!" (and now you'll know what they mean.)

Friday, November 7, 2008

We Are Living in Exponential Times



This video is staggering. How does one keep pace in a world like this?

And at the same time, what an exciting time to be alive!

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Star Wars Toaster

You could say that this $54.99 novelty toaster from shop.starwars.com is not a necessity, but you would be wrong.

Japanese Tug-O-War



Awesome!

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Why NOT to vote for Obama

This is a really, really good essay by a guy explaining why he didn't vote for Obama. 100% worth the short read.

It's a New Day in America!

The View from Bellingham, WA: Kristi and I watched the election at a friends house who lives off of Alabama St., an arterial in Bellingham.

When CNN called the race for Obama we heard a ruckus outside. We opened the door and heard people yelling, screaming with glee! And they carried on like that for some time!

On our drive home we passed through downtown Bellingham, and even then, several hours after Obama's acceptance speech, people were shouting, climbing up street signs, and waving Obama signs in the air. One young lady we saw was running down the sidewalk, hugging people, apparently strangers, as she went along!

Fireworks and explosions could be heard late into the night. Cars were honking as they drove by our house even into the early hours of the morning!

I've never seen anything like it. I've never seen MY generation in particular get so excited, so inspired, by a political candidate. (I have to give at least some thanks to Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney for all they have done to invigorate the political interests of American youths.) I never thought I would feel so proud of the president that my country selected! I feel like we have a chance to regain our respect from the rest of the world community again.

Congratulations, Mr. Obama! My sincere prayers are with you.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Huge Victory!


The FCC voted 5-0 today to approve the unlicensed use of the "TV White Spaces" radio spectrum!
(You can read the full story here.)

This is a huge win for the future of wireless communications and should lay the groundwork for some really cool products and services in the future. Thanks to everyone that participated in signing the petition! Our Voices Were Heard!

Now, wasn't there some other voting-thingy going on today...?