Category:
Science
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1st April 2010Wonders of the Solar SystemThe big BBC science series on at the moment is "Wonders of the Solar System", presented by Brian Cox. It's a series of 5 hour-long documentaries, focusing on the Solar System and Earth's place in it. I've been disappointed with Horizon recently - I think it's intent on dramatising science and stirring up false controversy whilst deliberately trying to confuse viewers - and it's a relief to finally have some documentaries done properly. As long as Brian's Mancunian accent and perma-smile don't put you off, you're in for a treat: it's simple (whilst remaining interesting) and clear, and it features some ...
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22nd February 2010Horizon – To Infinity and BeyondHmph. I don't particularly like Horizon at the moment. I don't know if it's because I already know a lot of what they're talking about, or if it's because they're just not very good. Maybe it's both - with my knowledge I can tell when they're just stirring shit up to add some drama, and I often feel that the producers are aiming more to entertain and shock than to inform. Several days ago I watched the episode called "To Infinity and Beyond ((It's currently available on BBC iPlayer.))". Unsurprisingly, it's about infinity, an interesting topic. It started off exploring the mathematical concept ...
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20th February 2010Mythbusters InaccuracyI've always loved Mythbusters and I'm usually happy with the way they do things. One time, though, I think they got it wrong. The episode that I'm on about aired nearly a year ago, and I made a mental note to point out the inaccuracy. The myth was the revisited version of the one about fusing a hatchback between two big lorries in a crash, called "Compact Compact Supersized". The idea being that the two lorries crashing head-on would have enough energy to completely squash the little car. Because it's so long ago, I don't remember the specifics, but it went ...
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1st December 2009The Blessing and The CurseI call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before thee life and death, the blessing and the curse: therefore choose life, that thou mayest live, thou and thy seed; That's from The Bible; Deuteronomy 30:19. I've just watched the final episode of Carl Sagan's "Cosmos: A Personal Voyage". There's a load of fanboyism surrounding "Cosmos" - and indeed anything to do with Sagan - but I believe that the hype is justified. Few things have ever so inspired me. According to Sagan, "the cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be". A ...
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27th November 2009Koch Snowflake (Horizon – How Long is a Piece of String?)NB: If you're just interested in the maths, click here. My most loyal reader and commenter, Sir Terry Kumblemann requested: "Posts about maths (seriously). To be more specific, sequences like the Fibonacci sequence and similar (or completely crazy sequences)." Now, I'm into maths, particularly all things patterny and numbery, but is my knowledge suitable for blog posts? I know that there are many crazy sequences - I could reel off the first 20 numbers of a sequence ((The Fibonacci sequence is particularly interesting, popping up all over nature as if by magic. But I wouldn't give it justice if I wrote about it ...
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About Wilf's Blog
I'm a mathematician, but apart from that, I'm a fairly normal guy. I used to write a blog - this blog. I write (wrote) about whatever is on my mind. It can get quite personal sometimes.
