Natural Blogarithms

I wish I’d thought of that.

Thanks to a post in LifeHacker, I have set up a few bookmarks in Firefox that will open in the sidebar.  I recently discovered the trick of opening links in the sidebar but I did not think to use mobile apps such as the new iphone app in Google Reader.

Some other mobile web apps that I am likely to use include:

• Digg: http://dig.com/iphone
• Facebook: http://iphone.facebook.com
• Twitter: http://m.twitter.com
• Facebook Chat: http://www.facebook.com/presence/popout.php
• Remember the Milk: http://m.rememberthemilk.com 
• Wikipedia: http://wikipedia.comoki.com/

If you want more suggestions to things to stick in your sidebar, go straight to apple for some ideas: http://www.apple.com/webapps/index_top.html

The "how to" comes from Mozilla Links

And it’s pretty simple:

1. Open the Bookmarks Manager (Bookmarks/Organize Bookmarks…)
2. In Firefox 2, in the File menu, select New bookmark… In Firefox 3, press Organize in the toolbar and select New bookmark…
3. Enter a name, http://www.google.com/reader/i/ for location, and ensure to check Load this bookmark in the sidebar.
4. Press Save Changes and now you can select the bookmark to load Google Reader in the sidebar.

Try it out.  It’s handy.

written by SplineGuy

A friend of mine saw me running a distribution of Linux from within Vista and asked that I post how I set it up so here it goes:

1. Download and install Virtual Box (see www.vitualbox.org)
2. Download your favorite distribution of Linux. Download an install disk image (*.iso file). Here are a couple suggestions
   • http://fedoraproject.org/get-fedora
   • http://www.ubuntu.com/GetUbuntu/download

Be sure to note where you save the *.iso file.

1. Launch Virtual Box:
   
2. Create a new Virtual Machine, by clicking Machine .. New (or just New on the toolbar). Then click “Next >”
   
3. Give your Virtual Machine a name and then select the operation system you intend to install. Then click Next…
   
4. Now, select the amount of memory (RAM) to dedicate to this machine when it is running. You don’t want to use all of your available memory since your system will still be running. I have 2 GB on my laptop so I dedicate anywhere from 512 - 1024 MB of RAM. Then, click next.
   
5. Next, VirtualBox will create a virtual hard disk so you can set up how much hard disk space your virtual machine will have available. Click New to set up a new virtual hard disk, go through the steps to set one up. I used the settings below:
   Dynamically Expanding Image.
   20 GB
   Click Next.
   
6. Now you can click finish to finalize the setting up of the Virtual Machine. Click Finish.

Installing Linux

1. In VirtualBox, right-click on the machine you just created and select Settings. Click on CD/DVD-ROM in left hand window of the Setting dialogue box. Select Mount CD/DVD Drive and click ISO Image File. Browse for the ISE image you downloaded. Then click OK.
   
2. Now, click Start and go through the Setup procedure for the Linux distribution.
   

Good Luck!

written by SplineGuy

I received an email earlier to day trying to promote some sort of a boycott of Exxon/Mobile Mobil gasoline stations in an effort to force them to lower their gas prices. Recognizing that there are few around my neck of the woods, I didn’t pay much attention to the email. Plus, I pretty much disregard those kinds of efforts anyway.

A follow up email attempted to make the point that we aren’t paying that much more for gasoline considering a significant increase in fuel efficiency over the last 20 - 30 years. The examples cited were anecdotal and encouraged me to do a little research on my own.

I was surprised to see that the increase in fuel economy is a lot less than one might have expected over the last 30 years. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) the average gas mileage for new vehicles sold in the United States has gone from 23.1 miles per gallon (mpg) in 1980 to 26.7 mpg in 2007. This represents a paltry increase of 15% over the 27 year period. Even if you limit yourself to domestic passenger cars the increase is from 22.6 mpg in 1980 to 31.3 mpg in 2007.

Even more interesting to me is the fact that we have benefited from a relatively low cost of gasoline for an extended period of time. (see here) Adjusting for inflation we see a steady decline in the cost of gasoline dating all the way back to the 1920s. The only exception is the late 70s, early 80s and the last 5 years. Prices are at their upper limit even with inflation considered. When considering only yearly averages, the highest cost occurred during 1981 at $3.17 (adjusted to 2008 dollars). Through March of 2008, this year’s annual average has been $3.08.

Now back to the original point, on average the cost (in 2008 valuation) per mile was 12.8 cents in 1981 (when gas averaged $3.17 per gallon in 2008 dollars and the average fuel economy was 24.6 miles per gallon) . The average cost per mile, currently, is 13.6 cents (with a current national average of $3.63 per gallon and average fuel economy of 26.7 mpg). In the end, while it seems that we are paying a ghastly amount at the pump we aren’t that far above the historical high, nevertheless we are, in fact, paying more than ever.

written by SplineGuy

Would you like to have full, free access to the online version of the Encyclopedia Britannica?  If you are a "Web Publisher", you are invited to sign up for a free account.  Why free?  In their own words,

“It’s good business for us and a benefit to people who publish on the Net,” said Britannica president Jorge Cauz. “The level of professionalism among Web publishers has really improved, and we want to recognize that by giving access to the people who are shaping the conversations about the issues of the day. Britannica belongs in the middle of those conversations.”

I just received notice today that my account has been approved. If you are a blogger, webmaster, online journalist and anyone else who publishes regularly on the Internet then you can now get a free subscription to Britannica Online.

Visit Britannicanet.com to get more of the details.  I requested my access a couple of weeks ago and did not hear anything.  So a couple of days ago, I re-requested and received confirmation today.  They sent me a coupon code and I signed up as any other subscriber but by entering the code, I receive one free year of access. Very cool!

First random factI learned as a Britannica subscriber: The United Arab Emirates ranks number one in the world in percent of population male at 67.63%, while Latvia ranks first in percent of population female at 53.97%.

written by SplineGuy

Professor Andrew Watson of the University of East Anglia has recently published a paper in the February issue of Astrobiology entitled Implications of an anthropic model of evolution for emergence of complex life and intelligence. In this article he argues that a number of limitations must be overcome in order for evolution to progress to the point to leading to intelligent live.

Watson postulates that for intelligent observers to evolve, a small number (n) of very difficult evolutionary steps must be passed. Once passed, evolution occurs quickly until the next stage is reached. Complex and intelligent life evolved quite late on Earth and Watson suggests that this may be because of the difficulty in passing these stages. He suggests that n is less than 10 and most likely equal to 4. These stages include the emergence of single-celled bacteria, bacteria with complex cells, cells allowing complex life forms, and intelligent life.

Professor Watson uses the Earth’s fossil records to establish upper bounds on the probability for each state.

The work supports the Rare Earth hypothesis which postulates that the emergence of complex multicellular life (metazoa) on Earth required an improbable combination of astrophysical and geological events and circumstances.

Read more about his paper at Plus Magazine.  At the time I am writing this entry, the article is freely available at the Astrobiology Journal site.

written by SplineGuy

I have the most excellent privilege of teaching a course at Wayland in Mathematical Modeling.  The course is designed as a projects course where the majority of the semester is spent working on modeling projects.  The typical problem will take groups of 3 - 4 students anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks to solve.  They often need to develop and learn new mathematical skills but mostly they will rely upon the mathematics courses they’ve covered up to this point.  This gives them the opportunity to see their mathematics in action; they get to see what an applied mathematician actually does. 

I’m always looking around for additional websites that provide real-world problems and not just problems designed for a particular application in a particular course.  The problem with many problems that are included with typical textbooks is that they have been shaped and manipulated so that the techniques being covered in the course fit neatly within the problem.  In practice, that rarely happens.  The problem, not the technique, comes first and a mathematician must develop a reasonable model based on the desired outcome.  Then appropriate techniques are used, learned or developed as the case demands.

This post marks the first of many I hope to follow which indexes a number of interesting sites that aid in promoting mathematical modeling and problem solving in the true spirit of serendipitous, constructive learning.

eBourbaki (www.ebourbaki.com)

eBourbaki is a mathematical problem-solving company whose mission is to solve the world’s mathematical problems using contests to inspire innovation and creativity.

eBourbaki’s mission is to solve the world’s mathematical problems. Our primary role is to host prize competitions focused around pertinent problems on behalf of sponsor organizations. The competition is global and open to everyone through the internet. The only pre-requisite for winning is providing the most innovative practicable solution. Our ultimate and unique agenda is to improve mathematical engagement, education and innovation worldwide.

The site is slick.  I like the idea of competing to develop the best solution and I have seen a few different competitions along this line. The first contest was held in 2007.  The ultimate goal was to develop a plan to shade downtown Phoenix, AZ during the summer.  Below is part of the statement of the problem:

Your task is to devise the most cost-efficient way to distribute trees and structures throughout the downtown area so that the sidewalks and public spaces are shaded for the duration of the working day (8-5).

This year’s contest runs from May 5 - 12 and the winning team will receive a cash prize.  Here’s the teaser (they won’t give the full statement of the problem until the contest begins):

London faces serious transportation challenges today. With congestion charges on the rise and increased awareness of the environmental impact of many forms of commuting, cities are turning to bicycle stations to ease traffic, reduce pollution, improve parking, and enhance a green-friendly image. Last summer, Paris joined the ranks, instituting a city-wide network of high-tech low-cost rental bicycle stations.

We ask the question: if London were to embrace this concept, how would it best go about doing so? Where should the bike stations go? How many bikes at each station?

I’m setting a goal of participating in some sort of contest along these lines with a group of our students next year. 

written by SplineGuy

written by SplineGuy

As a Microsoft fanboy, I have to point out a recent result from a contest at a security conference.  It was a three day contest where hackers were challenged to access a file on variety of systems including Microsoft Vista, Mac OSX Leopard, and Ubuntu Linux.  Winners could win a  Sony Vaio, Fujitsu U810 and the MacBook as prizes. 

On the first day, the system was loaded the operating system alone and all three stood the test against the hackers and the file remained inaccessible. 

On the second day, software that is typically packaged with the operating system was included on the systems.  The first machine fell.  And no, it wasn’t Vista.  Vista and Ubuntu survived the second day, but it was the Mac that was hacked through an undisclosed (but probably widely know) security flaw in the Safari browser (in under two minutes, by the way). 

On the last day where third party applications were installed on a new patched system, a vulnerability in Flash was utilized to compromise Vista. Ubuntu was left standing alone at the end of the contest.

TechBlog: Mac hacked, pwned and owned at security conference

written by SplineGuy

They’re getting more sophisticated.  I’ll be keeping a closer eye on my students.

HT: ISTP Dad

written by SplineGuy

HT: GraphJam

written by SplineGuy \\ tags: humor mathematics