Spring in the Steger Garden (2013)

From Flowers

Pi Day at Caltech

In the latest manifestation of self-proclaimed Caltech nerd-dom, a group of undergrads strung a chain of 15,000 colored paper loops across the campus in honor of Pi day. There are nine colors, each one representing a number. The multicolor chain should be in order, representing the digits of Pi going 15,000 digits deep.

For the uninitiated, Pi is the digit that’s mostly often simplified to 3.14 (hence, March 14) and is used to calculate the circumference of a circle. The decimal can go out forever and mathematicians have figured it out to the 10 trillionth number so far.

Source: Los Angeles Times.

From 2013 03 14 Pasadena

More photos after the jump.

Late Night Talk Show Tour

In case you wondered about the relative shortage of blog posts recently, it was because we were in southern California doing the talk show tour, among other things. For example, here we are on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno":

Source: NBC.

After the jump, "The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson."

Review: The Yellow Birds

Amazon

From The Yellow Birds: A Novel, by Kevin Powers:

We were not destined to survive. The fact is, we were not destined at all. The war would take what it could get. It was patient. It didn't care about objectives, or boundaries, whether you were loved by many or not at all. While I slept that summer, the war came to me in my dreams and showed me its sole purpose: to go on, only to go on. And I knew the war would have its way."

After the jump, my review.

Review: Here's the Deal

Amazon

From Here's the Deal, by David Leonhardt:

Eventually, the country will have to confront the deficit we have, rather than the deficit we imagine. The one we imagine is a deficit caused by waste, fraud, abuse, foreign aid, oil industry subsidies and vague out-of-control spending. The one we have is caused by the world's highest health costs (by far), the world's largest military (by far), a Social Security program built when most people died by age 75 -- and, to pay for it all, the lowest tax rates in decades. The recent string of budget deadlines and crises may be manufactured. The problem is not."

After the jump, my review.

S2L77: Taj Mahal

Agra, India
March 6, 1977

We toured the Taj Mahal by day, then returned at night to see it by the light of a full moon. I think I could have sat there all night and never gotten tired of the sight.

Source: Personal travel notes.

From 1977 03 02 India

Remember that waxing moon I commented on while in Nepal? Well, by the time I reached Agra it was full. Perfect timing for a nighttime visit to the Taj Mahal. It's sometimes called the most beautiful building in the world. That won't get an argument from me.

More photos after the jump.

Hopes Sky High for Tearing Down Central

Source: www.us75mobility.com.

Just kidding. If you believe that, I have some land in Frisco to sell you that I promise is no more than a fifteen minute drive from downtown Dallas. Instead of instilling high hopes, TxDOT came to Richardson Monday night to brief the city council on a study TxDOT has initiated for the US 75 corridor from I-635 to SH 121. The study is expected to be complete by September, 2015.

After the jump, what TxDOT says, what I say, and what Richardson council member Scott Dunn says.

Review: Norwegian Wood

Amazon

From Norwegian Wood, by Haruki Murakami:

'The problem was that that kind of thing couldn't go on forever,' said Naoku. 'Such perfect little circles are impossible to maintain. Kizuki knew it, I knew it, and so did you. Am I right?' I nodded."

After the jump, my review.

Remember Bulletin Boards?

Source: City of Richardson.

Remember bulletin boards? You might if you grew up in the 1950s, back when cork-and-pin bulletin boards were still a popular way to share public notices. In the mid-1990s, the Internet relegated bulletin boards to the dustbin of history. Except in government. The dustbin of history is government's natural habitat. That's evident from the notice that includes the excerpt above.

After the jump, my forlorn plea for the City of Richardson to get with the 21st century.

Are You Smarter than a Texas Legislator?

Apparently, Texas House members are not smarter than a fifth grader. Nor are Capitol staffers. And they aren't even smart enough to be embarrassed, instead acting as if there is something wrong with the questions asked, not with their inability to give correct answers.

What am I talking about? It's a letter sent to all Texas House members by Rep. Gene Wu (D-Houston) containing thirteen sample questions from the middle school standardized STAAR tests. Wu admits he missed "two or three" of the questions. He said some Capitol staff "gave up."

Really? I took the test. I think I did better than Wu (I can't say for sure because Wu didn't provide answers). Before I say any more, pause here and take the test yourself. Don't hurry. It's not timed.

After the jump, I give my own impressions of the test. Spoiler alert: I also give my own answers.