Happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Couldn't resist adding a little ice and a little color to the post. Not sure all fellow bloggers are aware of this but our very own Max will be jumping into the ocean at Compo Beach tomorrow morning at 10 am in the annual Polar Plunge. Weather report says it'll be something near 30 degrees F and windy. Me, I'll be running the Joe Vailonis Champagne Race off Farmington Ave. in West Hartford at the same time.

Keep warm tonight and may 2009 be good to us all!

TcT

D-Wave Arms ‘Smoking Gun’ Proof of Quantum Computer

By Ashlee Vance for the New York Times

"D-Wave Systems, a Canadian start-up, claims to have concocted a way of proving that its quantum computer is actually a quantum computer. But to pull off the proof, it needs thousands of people to volunteer spare time on their personal computers." More...

A Christmas Cake - Rosalind Style

Who needs Toby Speak? Just add a little brandy and ...

A Christmas Cake - Rosalind Style

* 2 cups flour
* 1 stick butter
* 1 cup of water
* 1 tsp baking soda

Ingredients:

* 1 cup of sugar
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 cup of brown sugar
* Lemon juice
* 4 large eggs
* Nuts
* 1 bottle Brandy
* 2 cups of dried fruit

Sample the brandy to check quality. Take a large bowl, check the brandy again. To be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink. Repeat. Turn on the electric mixer. Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add one teaspoon of sugar. Beat again. At this point it's best to make sure the brandy is still OK. Try another cup... Just in case. Turn off the mixerer thingy. Break 2 eggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.

Pick the frigging fruit up off floor. Mix on the turner. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers just pry it loose with a drewscriver. Sample the brandy to check for tonsisticity. Next, sift two cups of salt. Or something. Check the brandy. Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts. Add one table. Add a spoon of sugar, or some fink. Whatever you can find. Greash the oven. Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over. Don't forget to beat off the turner. Finally, throw the bowl through the window. Finish the brandy and wipe counter with the cat.

Bingle Jells!

Da Nite Be4 Kristmaz

Merry Christmas to all my blog friends! Peace on earth, goodwill towards men. Toby felt that he should translate this classic (he got tired of making up new words halfway through, but it was still fun):

Da Nite Be4 Kristmaz
by Henry Livingston

'Twas da nite befoah Kristmaz, whin awl throo da howz
Nutt a kreechure wuz stirrin, nutt evun a mouzie;
Da stawkinz wur hung by da chimblee wid cair,
In hopes dat St. Nikolaz zoon wud be theah;
Da chilldrin wur neztiled awl snug in their bedz,
Wyill vishinz ov sugar-plums danzed in their hedz;
And mamma in er 'kerchief, and Ize in mye cap,
Had juz settled down foah a long winter's nap,
Whin owd awn da lawn theah ahroze suech a clattah,
Ize sprang frum da bed tah zee wat wuz da mattah.
Away tah da winnough Ize flew lyke a flazh,
Tore opun da shuttahz and threw upe da sazh.
Da moon awn da brezt ov da new-fallen zno
Gayv da lustrah ov mid-day tah objikz below,
Whin, wat tah mye wunderin eyes shud apeer,
Butz a miniahchur sleigh, and eight tiny raindeeyah,
Wid a yiddle owld drivah, zo livelee and quick,
Ize knew in a moment id must be St. Nik.
Mowa raypid dan eegullz hiz corzerz dey caym,
And he whiztilled, and shouded, and cawld dem by nayme;
"Nuhow, Dasher! nuhow, Dancer! nuhow, Prancer and Vixen!
Awn, Comet! awn Cupid! awn, Donder and Blitzen!
Tah da top ov da porch! tah da top ov da wall!
Nuhow dash away! dash away! dash away awl!"
Az dry leefs dat befoah da wild hurrykain fly,
Whin dey meet wid an obztickle, mount tah da sky,
Zo upe tah da house-top da corzerz dey flew,
Wid da sleigh full ov toys, and St. Nikolaz too.
And denn, in a twinkling, Ize hurd awn da roof
Da prancing and pawing ov each yiddle hoof.
Az Ize drew in mye hayend, and wuz turning aroond,
Down da chimblee St. Nikolaz caym wid a bound.
He wuz dressed awl in fur, frum hiz hed tah hiz fut,
And hiz cloze wur awl tarnished wid ashes and soot;
A bundle ov toys he had flung awn hiz back,
And he lookeed lyke a peddler juz opening hiz pack.
Hiz eyes -- ow dey twinkled! hiz dimples ow merry!
Hiz cheeks wur lyke roses, hiz nose lyke a cherry!
Hiz droll yiddle mouth wuz drawn upe lyke a bow,
And da beeyerd ov hiz chin wuz az white az da zno;
Da stump ov a pipe he held tight in hiz teef,
And da smoke id encircled hiz hed lyke a wreeth;
He had a broad face and a yiddle round belly,
Dat shook, whin he laughed lyke a bowlful ov jelly.
He wuz chubby and plump, a ryet jolly owld elf,
And Ize laughed whin Ize saw him, in spite ov myzelf;
A weenk ov hiz eye and a twist ov hiz hed,
Zoon gayv mee tah kno Ize had nuddin tah dread;
He spoke nutt a wurd, butz went strayt tah hiz wuk,
And filled awl da stawkinz; denn turned wid a jerk,
And laying hiz fingah aside ov hiz nose,
And giving a nod, upe da chimblee he rose;
He sprang tah hiz sleigh, tah hiz teem gayv a whistle,
And away dey awl flew lyke da down ov a thistle.
Butz Ize hurd him exclaim, ere he drove owd ov sight,
"Happee Kristmaz tah awl, and tah awl a good-night."

Translation by Toby Speak Version 2.2n
The dishunary contains 1384 wurds.

Mount Nuwingtun

Mount Nuwingtun



Cub reporter TcT heah. A mouzaklizmik event occurred ova da weekend heah in Nuwingtun and wee caught id awn film. A mountain ov hyte no lezz dan 243 cm appeared owd ov da boo, eeklipsing awl preevius tahwah records, Queezin-air and udderwize. Wee don't foresee any kullapsing in da neah future and cayne onwy attribute dais mirakewel tah Kwantum Mechanicks, witch posits da non-zero (albeit infinitessimully zmahl) probubbillitee dat wada, clay, paint and Kristmaz ornament string wiyill self-assemble and denn getz poasted awn Interpres.

Translation by Toby Speak Version 2.2n
The dishunary contains 1354 wurds.

Speaking of shining on and little sparkly things

http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=1676697042169&source=jl999

A Nu Gold Stah Foah Dee Dee

Ize dew tink u deserve a gold stah foah awl yur solutions.
Ize painted dais wun a long tyme ago, butz id ztill worthy
ov trophy statuz foah Dee Dee! Id came frum da youneeverze
witch az wee kno iz pure intelligence.

Who knew Jingle Bells had a second verse? The word "upsot" is a real word, although what it means is open to debate.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gingul Bellz

Dashing throo da zno
In a wun horsee opun sleigh
O'er da feeldz wee goe
Laffin awl da way
Bellz awn bob tayelz wring
Makin spiridz brite
Wat fune id iz tah laff and zing
A sleighing song 2nite

O, gingul bellz, gingul bellz
Gingul awl da way
O, wat fune id iz tah ryde
In a wun horsee opun sleigh
Gingul bellz, gingul bellz
Gingul awl da way
O, wat fune id iz tah ryde
In a wun horsee opun sleigh

A day or 2 ago
Ize thod I'd tayk a ryde
And zoon Miss Fanny Brite
Wuz seedid by mye syde
Da horsee wuz lean and lank
Mizfourchin seemed hiz lot
Wee gotz into a drifted bank
And denn wee gotz upsot

O, gingul bellz, gingul bellz
Gingul awl da way
O, wat fune id iz tah ryde
In a wun horsee opun sleigh
Gingul bellz, gingul bellz
Gingul awl da way
O, wat fune id iz tah ryde
In a wun horsee opun sleigh yeah

Dwarf

For an answer to Bube's comment on a previous post, this is not a viking troll, but a dwarf (to go with the "white dwarf star"). He does not have spikes in his chest, they are actually some sort of creatures in his beard. I am not sure what the candle on his helmet is for, it might be there because dwarfs tend to live underground (at least in fantasy novels they do). The hammer and chisel looks like he has been carving out tunnels. I am not sure what this particular picture is from, it is just one that I found when I searched on the word "dwarf" in Google images.

Gold Stah foah Bube or Dee Dee?

Hi Bube,

The "gold Star" you see above has officially been awarded to TcT. Congratulations!

But the following will explain why I am still making this NEW puzzler (created by me) open to you and Dee Dee.

Dee Dee, I am going to email you right after I post this -- to answer the questions you asked about it. This post itself should help to explain my puzzler also.

These gold star awards have been fun for me to try to get. I seem to be taking
longer to come up with the right solutions but Dee Dee and Tiny-c have made me see it might still be worth looking at them. In the meantime, I came up with one of MY OWN puzzlers and passed the following on to TcT and Dee Dee. If you are interested in giving my made up puzzler a try, it might be fun for you and Dee Dee (since Dee Dee is still working on this). I do have to tell you though that TcT HAS actually solved my puzzler AND he will be getting a painting of a "gold" star by me (shown above). I still encourage both you and Dee Dee to see if you can get the answer to the following question, even though TcT got it first. I promise both of you that I will award either you or Dee Dee with something if one of you gets THE answer:

Here is the question. It is based on a name I sometimes am called by Lee. I also call myself this name from time to time.

ChasB

ChasB is short for Chas Bradley with a bee (B) in it for both Bradley and bees -- relating to sunflower visitors -- since I am into making [grade B] movies about sunflowers and bees. In an email the other day, I signed off with "Ch1s2" just to be funny -- since we have been thinking about numbers and letters so much lately. The "a" was changed to a "1" and the "B" was changed to a "2".

I then decided to ask the following question -- which turned out to be my
puzzler:

How may ways are there to write the name 'ChasB' replacing only the 'a' and the
'B' with numbers 0 through 9 so that the outcomes for each new name look entirely different?

I also said the following thing (to Dee Dee and Tiny-c) which I also want to
say to you here -- since I am still opening this up to you and Dee Dee to
solve:

I quote: "I have a revised answer for the 200 possibilities. The first person
to guess what I am thinking that revised answer should be will get a painted gouache star from me. If MY answer (which I think may be right) turns out NOT to be the real answer, then you can both send me a silly star that you draw yourself. Send ANYTHING you like. I can take it!

ChasB"

Good luck to both of you if you wish to try this. Someone will still be awarded even though Tiny-c gets the grand daddy hand-painted gold star from me today. 200 was not right NOR was what I was thinking it was!

White Dwarf Stah

Max haz received A white dwarf stah foah hiz cumpleeshun ov da Kristmaz anagrams poozle. Dais Hubble Spaiz Telescope imudge shooz Sirius A, da brightest stah in owah nighttime sky, along wid its faint, tiny stellar companion, Sirius B. He haz alzo received a red maple leef wid a dwarf foah hiz extrah credit points.

Gold Stah

TcT (and LBrad) hav earned demselvez a gold stah foah completing da anagrams poozle fuhst! Da lucky shamrock iz foah da bonus points.

Kristmaz Poozle

Heah iz anothah kynde ov poozle. Deez r cawld anagrams. Dey r scrambled (English) wurds. Wun hint: dey r awl Kristmaz foodz. E-mail yur answers tah DeeDee. Da fuhst purrsun tah unscramble awl ov dem gets a gold stah. Bonus points: put da red letters togetha and unscramble foah wun addishunul anagram.


ABCEEINRRRS
ACCEHLOOT
AGYVR
ALNSTUW
AMSY
CEIKOOS
DGINPDU
EKRTYU
FGINSTFU
IMNST

Inawegurashun, heah wee comed!

Dear Amy,

Thank you for contacting Senator Collins’ office to request tickets to the presidential inauguration on January 20^th, 2009. Her office received an unprecedented number of requests from Mainers wishing to witness this historic event. Senator Collins is very pleased that she is able to offer you 2 priority standing tickets to the inauguration.

These tickets are non-transferable and must be picked up in person. You can pick up your tickets at Senator Collins’ Washington, DC office in Room 413 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, beginning Friday, January 16^th, from 9:00 am until 6:00 pm, and on Monday, January 19^th from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm. If you do not claim your tickets by 5:00 pm on Monday, we can no longer guarantee your reservation.

If your travel arrangements prevent you from picking up your tickets during the scheduled times, please contact our office as soon as possible to make alternate arrangements. Also, if your travel plans change and you no longer plan to attend the inauguration, please notify our office immediately, as we currently have thousands of people on our wait list. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

We wish you a happy holiday season and look forward to seeing you in January!

Best,

Caleigh Keevan

Office of Senator Susan Collins

Srinivasa Ramanujan

In my effort to rate DeeDee's recent (and ongoing) mathematical accomplishments, I tried to list (from memory) all the mathematicians I knew who were legendary. I forgot to mention Srinivasa Ramanujan. I have just spent a good half hour reading the Wikipedia article.

The Beauty of Mathematics

a really neat PPS coming soon as TcT can figure out how to post it

Dais one's foah BuBe (woops) Ize meanz BB

Dais one's foah BuBe (woops) Ize meanz BB

Ize gotz an email a cupel ov dayz ago frum a complete stranger hoo needed help awn da "poozle"

     XMAS 
     MAIL 
  + EARLY 
   ------ 
   PLEASE

U may hav seen suech puzzles befoah. Da idea ov course iz tah tri and find digits in 0 thru 9 witch u yews tah replace da letters abuv suech dat da addition actually works.

Befoah u give upe awn da abuv (witch, by da way, iz reelee, reelee hahd zo prolly best nutt tah evun tri (butz id duz hav a solution!)), zee wat u cayne dew wid da mach simpler wun

 
     I   
  + BB 
   --- 
   ILL

(witch iz why "dais one's foah BuBe (woops) Ize meanz BB." Itz nutt dat she's nutt feeling wel, itz juz dat er initials (sort ov) r wun ov da "summands.")

U r nutt allowed tah read any fuhthah unetill u actually tri tah solve dais wun. Itz prolly obvious butz juz tah be clear, difrunt letters cannut hav da saym digit azzosheayted wid dem and whin a lettah appears somewhere, any udda occurrence ov da lettah must be replaced by da saym digit u choose foah dat occurence. Alzo, left-most letters r nutt allowed tah be azzosheayted wid da digit 0.

I'll be posting mowa awn dais stufe lader.

Hav fune!

PS

Da classic eggzample ov dais "alphametic" poozle (alzo nown az a "cryptarithm") iz

  
    SEND 
    MORE 
 + ----- 
   MONEY

Translation by Toby Speak Version 2.2n
The dishunary contains 1333 wurds.

Eleven Smobers 2day!

2day iz da eleven munth annaversaree ov whin Amee quit zmokin!

11m 1:51 smoke-free, 6,702 cigs not smoked, $2,345.70 saved, 3w 2d 6:30 life saved

The December 12 Ice Storm

Ice Storm Details ...

for Tobee

Just in case you missed it

Just in case you haven't been entertained enough with the post election media hysteria:

http://copiousdissent.blogspot.com/2008/12/fred-thompson-on-economy.html

Nu Guinness World Reckud Set by Max!

2day iz a special day! Tah read awl aboot dais nu tahwah, pleaze clickz heah.

Bobby Decker's Tree

I love both the Bobby Decker story (which I've heard before but it was great to hear it again) and the Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters / Joshua Held / Irving Berlin / Bing Crosby White Christmas song / animation (which I have also heard / seen before but I can't hear / see it too often.)

I am about to add DeeDee's wurds but I thought you might be interested in what my newly revised Binary Tree program does to the wurds.

Here are the unsorted individual wurds.

Here are the sorted individual wurds. When you see a left bracket followed by a number, this means the wurd occurred more than once.

Here's the source code to the tiny-c program. I don't expect you to follow it but I would like to point out that the new features are it can handle up to 800 words and it can get its input from a file instead of via manual entry. These enhancements were extremely interesting to figure out how to do.

Wishing you a white Christmas

http://www.mesasoftware.com/merrychristmas.htm


Merry Christmas
This rendition of White Christmas was recorded by Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters in 1953. It was #2 on the charts in 1954. Animation is by Joshua Held in 2002.
White Christmas was written by Irving Berlin for the Movie "Holiday Inn" and recorded by Bing Crosby in 1942, and received the Academy Award in that year. Crosby recorded it again in 1947, and that recording has become the standard. It was also featured in the 1954 movie White Christmas with Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen.
White Christmas is the biggest selling Christmas song of all time.

Kristmaz Storee

Dais iz a ooey gooey, feel gud, non-techie Kristmaz storee.

Ize recommember mye fuhst Kristmaz advenchure wid Granmah. Ize wuz juz a kid. Ize recommember tearing across town awn mye byke tah vizit er awn da day mye beeg siztah dropped da bomb: "Theah iz no Zanta Clawz," zhe jeered. "Evun dummies kno dat!"

Mye Granmah wuz nutt da gushy kynde, nevah had bin. Ize fled tah er dat day cuz Ize knew zhe wud be strayt wid mee. Ize knew Granmah always toled da druth, and Ize knew dat da druth always went down a holee lot easier whin swallowed wid wun ov er "world faymouse" sinamun bunz. Ize knew dey wur world faymouse, cuz Granmah sayd zo. Id had tah be troo.

Granmah wuz homee, and da bunz wur ztill wahm. Beatween bites, Ize toled er evereeding. Zhe wuz ready foah mee. "No Zanta Clawz?" zhe snordded.... "Reedikuluz! Don't beeleev id. Dat rumor haz bin gowin aroond foah years, and id maykes mee mad, playne mad!! Nuhow, put awn yur cote, and let's goe."

"Goe? Goe wheah, Granmah?" Ize asked. Ize hadn't evun finished mye Second World faymouse sinamun bun. "Wheah" turned owd tah be Kerby's Genarul Stowah, da wun stowah in town dat had a yiddle bit ov juz aboot evereeding.

Az wee walked throo its dorz, Granmah handed mee ten dollahz. Dat wuz a bundle in doz dayz. "Tayk dais munee," zhe sayd, "and buy sumding foah zumwun hoo kneadz id. I'll wayt foah u in da cah." Denn zhe turned and walked owd ov Kerby's.

Ize wuz onwy eight years owld. I'd offden gon shoppun wid mye muddah, butz nevah had Ize shopped foah eneedin awl by myzelf. Da stowah seemed beeg and crowded, full ov peeple scrambling tah finish their Kristmaz shoppun. Foah a few moments Ize juz stood theah, convoozed, clutching dat ten-dollar bill, wunderin wat tah buy, and hoo awn urth tah buy id foah. Ize thod ov everybody Ize knew: mye family, mye frends, mye nayborz, da kids at school, da peeple hoo went tah mye church. Ize wuz juz aboot thod owd, whin Ize sudanlee thod ov Bobby
Decker. He wuz a kid wid badd breth and messy hair, and he sat ryet behind mee in Mrs. Pollock's grade-two class.

Bobby Decker didn't hav a cote. Ize knew dat cuz he nevah went owd tah recess during da wintah. Hiz muddah always wrote a note, telling da teecha dat he had a coff, butz awl wee kids knew dat Bobby Decker didn't hav a coff; he didn't hav a gud cote. Ize fingered da ten-dollar bill wid grewing eggsitement. Ize wud buy Bobby Decker a cote! Ize settled awn a red cordooroy wun dat had a hood tah id. Id lookeed reyal wahm, and he wud lyke dat.

"Iz dais a Kristmaz present foah zumwun?" da lady behind da counter asked kindly, az Ize laid mye ten dollahz down. "Yes, ma'am," Ize replied shyly. "Itz foah Bobby." Da nyce lady smiled at mee, az Ize toled er aboot ow Bobby reelee needed a gud wintah cote. Ize didn't getz any chainj, butz zhe put da cote in a bag, smiled agin, and wished mee a Merry Kristmaz.

Dat evening, Granmah helped mee wrap da cote (a yiddle tag fell owd ov da cote, and Granmah tucked id in er Buybill) in Kristmaz papah and ribunz and wrote, "Tah Bobby, Frum Zanta Clawz" awn id. Granmah sayd dat Zanta always insisted awn secrecy. Denn zhe drove mee ova tah Bobby Decker's howz, explaining az wee went dat Ize wuz nuhow and forever officially, wun ov Santa's helpers.

Granmah parked down da street frum Bobby's howz, and zhe and Ize crept noiselessly and hid in da bushes by hiz frunt walk. Denn Granmah gayv mee a nuge. "Awl ryet, Zanta Clawz," zhe whizpad, "getz gowin." Ize tuk a deep breth, dashed foah hiz frunt door, threw da present down awn hiz step, pounded hiz door and flew back tah da safedy ov da bushes and Granmah. Togetha wee waited brethlezzlee in da darkness foah da frunt door tah open. Finally id did, and theah stood Bobby.

Fifty years haven't dimmed da thrill ov doz moments spent shivering, beside mye Granmah, in Bobby Decker's bushes. Dat night, Ize relised dat doz awful rumors aboot Zanta Clawz wur juz wat Granmah sayd dey wur, reedikuluz. Zanta wuz alive and wel, and wee wur awn hiz teem.
Ize ztill hav da Buybill, wid da cote tag tucked inzyde: $19.95. May u always hav luv tah cher,
helth tah spare and frends dat care. And may u always beeleev in da magic ov Zanta Clawz!

Translation by Toby Speak Version 2.2m
The dishunary contains 1266 wurds.

Call me Flag

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_L1vLv84vs

A brief look at Quiz #2's answer

Without going into too much detail here on the blog, I did feel like giving my latest answer (on try number 3!). For some further detail on how I came up with it, please click here

Weekly Address From the President Elect

Analysis of Analisis

Deah TcT,

Ize hav a quezhun foah u. U toled mee dat whin Ize wuz creating a Tobee wurd frum an Inglish wun, Ize shouldn't yews anothah Inglish wurd. An eggzample ov dais wud be dranzlading two->too. Both r Inglish wurds and Ize udderstaynd dais wud be convoozin.

Mye quezhun iz, wat aboot da Inglish wurd "analysis"? Id iz currantlee trainslatted az analysis->analisis. 2day Ize notissed dat da wurd "analisis" iz in Lebster's Dishunary. Ize am nutt zur hoo trainslatted dais wurd, or if dais kunnekshun wuz intended or nutt. Let mee assure u dat dais doesn't meanz Ize tink id shud be changed, Ize juz wanted tah poind id owd in case u thod id shud be changed, zins u mayd upe da wurd "analisis". Lebster's iz pritty cul, zo Ize don't mind sharing a wurd if u don't.

Sincerelee,
Tobee

Danzing Kat

Twolips R Yummee

Twolips? What twolips?

Twolips 7, Tobee 3.

atoi and itoa ...

Commentary coming ...

1 cm more for me to try?

I have taken a closer look at your 67 cm tower and see that you have gone great length to optimize on the vertical orientations AND to locate those vertical blocks at what appear to be precisely the right locations. I looked hard to see where I could improve something but have to admit there was only ONE possible area that might be able to be re-configured. It is near the very top as shown above.

If a person were remove the one block shown and arrange the others so that the dots lined up with the dashes (as bricks are laid down on their seams) It MIGHT be possible to add one more centimeter on top from that removed block. I cannot see where too much (if any) more room for improvement could be made since you appear to have used ALL blocks with incrementally narrowing tower diameter while also optimizing on vertical heights for blocks that were not too tall (and therefore unstable for anything laid on top of them). Brilliant!

Amazing (Grace) and then some

From BuBe

"I think this one tops last year's Trans Siberian routine."



Here's a link to Carson Williams' original.

http://www.snopes.com/photos/arts/xmaslights.asp

67!

Da key ideas wur ...

Wee interrupt dais mezzage tah teyell u dat doo tah summ random disturbance, da 67 cm tahwah juz came crashing down and ...

"Primary" current concern (az wuz da case whin da original 59 cm tahwah fynlee lost id doo tah a simila random disturbance and Ize had tah collect da rods witch wur scattered awl aboot and spent a fair amound ov tyme hunting foah 2 elusive peecez, a light green and a wood kuller) iz tah be zur Ize cayne find awl da rods witch Ize hav zo far simply picked upe and put in Linda's "ceramic paper bags." I'll dew dais az zoon az Ize finish writing deez nohtz .

Az Ize wuz zayin, da key ideas wur


Clickz da piccha abuv foah mowa.

New Guinness Book of World Records Set

Using Max's 3-rod to 2-rod Extreme Tower Makeover spec', we are able to report a new Guinness Book of World Records has been set. The old record of 54 cm is history and has been replaced with a 59 cm record. You might think we'd be able to go higher than this but a few of the 1 cm x 1 cm x 1 cm cubes were needed to provide support on the way up and the very top section has only 2 "singletons" (Max's had more). I considered trying for a "singleton" column with 4 cubes (which would have made a 61 cm tower) but I had a record at 59 and of course 59 is prime so ... call it a day!

Nu Thirees awn blawk tahwah konstrukshun

This is not very related to plant identification or upcoming inaugurations, but I had this thought the day after Thanksgiving at about 2:00 AM. It had to do with a better way to build a tower of blocks based on using two blocks (rather than three) for each level of the block tower. It seemed to me that one could achieve a HIGHER building with even MORE stability if one were to use two blocks WHILE ALSO rotating each level by a factor of 45 horizontal degrees. The rotation would possibly help contribute to EIGHT POINTS of structural stability at the corners (rather than six points for a three-cornered layer). The above graphic needs two comments on my part here. One is that there appears to be FOUR (4) blocks for each layer. Not true. There are two, but the other two are on top of the first layer. Also, (in some cases) there may be more than one color used in EACH layer -- due to the numbers of available blocks for each set of two. The second point is that I have made an error in my graphic. The error is in the rotation sequence. I wanted to rotate each layer by 45 degrees AS ONE CHANGED TO THE NEXT COLOR / AND / OR LENGTH SET. It is a minor error, but for purposes of beta testing (hint, hint, hint) it may help TcT to test my theory. Possibly he can break the current world record (now set at 54 cm in tower height) for a new colored block tower height.

Prezadentul Inawegurashun

In dayz Amee and Myke wiyill be awn their way tah Wazhintin D.C.! Dey r gowin tah zee da prezadentul inawegurashun, and wiyill alzo be visitng Mike's brother Peter and hiz wife C.C.

Dey hav requezded tikitz frum Senadur Susan Collins. Amy's neese Meghan works foah Senadur Collins. Zhe sayd dey hav had a lot ov requeztz, zo dey r nutt garinteed tah getz tikitz. Butz evun if dey don't, dey r ztill gowin. Theah wiyill be a lot ov peeple awn da mall (upe tah 4 millyun!) whatchin awn beeg screen TVs. Theah iz no need foah tikitz theah. Id wiyill be a vewy eggsightin tyme!