A Quick Tip

I'm not sure who it is that has decided that I am a "Mom Blogger." I'm not a mom. I'm not a parent at all, but the point is that, if I were, I still wouldn't be a mom. Maybe having my gender mis-identified shouldn't be offensive, but it is.

As thrilled as I am to get mail in the blog's inbox, sending the Preschool information about your site, and then telling me how great it will be to "connect with other moms in [my] area," is a good way to ensure that you're reported as spam.

Thanks for your attention, and happy back-to-school week.

Just Put Some In My Hands For A Dime!

Actual conversation at Jimmy John's this weekend:

Manager: Hi folks, I'm afraid all we've got left is wheat bread.

Me: Wow, really?

Manager: Yeah, we just got slammed and are trying to catch back up.

(this is backed up by the large stack of trays containing uncooked bread)

We have enough bread for one sandwich.

Me: Oh. Okay, well, in that case... (scanning the menu board) I'll have an Italian Club.

Manager: Would you like it on wheat?

...

Summer School, Part II

It's been a while since I've been to trivia (my reduced schedule for the summer quarter lasted three weeks), but I did save up a few misses, and have spotted a few cool tidbits. Here's a new set to tide you over for a while.

1. What was the name of Little Anthony's backup band?
2. In Chico and The Man, who played The Man?
3. What is Maxwell Smart's agent number?
4. What 1978 album was The Who's last studio album?
5. Who co-wrote "China Girl" with David Bowie?
6. Who directed the films Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, and Punch-Drunk Love?
   

Summer School

I'll post new trivia in a bit, but since I do claim to talk about math here, I would be remiss not to point out a shocker in the world of mathematics: A possible proof that P ≠ NP. There's been no confirmation that the proof is correct (the paper is only two days old), but it certainly doesn't appear to be a joke.
The shock is not so much the result (I think P=NP would have been the bigger surprise), but that there was little warning that anyone was close to proving it. This has big implications for computer science. For example, data encryption that relies on factoring large numbers (a problem known to be in NP) is secure, in that there is no algorithm that will allow an adversary to quickly find the decryption key.
We do live in interesting times. Here's hoping the proof is correct.

(HT: This guy.)