2012 Pan-Mass Challenge

For the thirteenth straight year I'll be riding in the Pan-Mass Challenge which, through the Jimmy Fund, raises money to support research and treatment at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. For more information you might look at this year's fact sheet (PDF).

You can contribute online if you'd like to support my effort.

posted @ 11:04 AM EST

2012 GLOBE at Night

Join the world-wide hunt for stars during GLOBE at Night in January, February, March, and April 2012.

posted @ 08:18 AM EST

Pan-Mass Challenge Gives $35 Millon

This evening, the Pan-Mass Challenge will present a check to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for $35 million, $67,681.09 of which was contributed on behalf of Team Dolben. Thanks to all who supported this year's ride.

posted @ 08:43 AM EST

Visual Proof of the Pythagorean Theorem

Because it is so simple and visually obvious, this is my favorite proof of the Pythagorean Theorem: for any right triangle, the square of the hypoteneuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.

The large square on the left contains four congruent right triangles, leaving a white square in the middle having the area of the square of the hypoteneuse of the triangles. The large square on the right contains the same right triangles, leaving two white squares, each having the area of the square of one of the other two sides of the triangles.

posted @ 12:42 PM EDT

Steve Jobs 1955-2011

"Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new." - Steve Jobs, in his 2005 Stanford Commencement Address

posted @ 08:27 AM EDT

The Man

posted @ 08:43 AM EDT

Top Ten Favorite iPad Apps

Here's a list of my top ten favorite iPad apps:

1. Safari - web browser
2. Mail - email client
3. Flipboard - fancy feed aggregator
4. WunderMap - weather with radar
5. SkySafari 3 - astronomy
6. Emerald Observatory - ephemeris
7. Movies by Flixster - films in theater, on disk, and on Netflix
8. What's On TV? - TV listings
9. Dropbox - cloud storage
10. Nebulous Notes - plain text editor for Dropbox

posted @ 11:06 AM EDT

Declaration of Independence

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

posted @ 07:16 AM EDT

Eighth Anniversary

To mark the eighth anniversary of Nothing Is Perfect here's my top ten list of favorite entries:

1. The Bike Rider's Guide to the Solar System (Model in Maine)
2. A Little Piece of Heaven
3. No Escape From Environmental Disaster
4. Yellow Jersey Group on the Col de la Madeleine
5. Just win, baby
6. Modular Inverse
7. Polyphonym
8. Military Games
9. Two Abreast
10. Remembrance of a Portentous Eclipse

posted @ 08:35 AM EDT

2011 Pan-Mass Challenge

For the twelfth straight year I'll be riding in the Pan-Mass Challenge which, through the Jimmy Fund, raises money to support research and treatment at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. For more information you might look at this year's fact sheet (PDF).

You can contribute online if you'd like to support my effort.

posted @ 09:25 PM EDT

Planets in Pisces

Four of the planets which are visible to the naked eye are clustered together in Pisces. The image above, captured from SkySafari Lite, shows what the eastern sky near the horizon (the green line) will look like at dawn in a couple of weeks from the New Hampshire seacoast.

posted @ 09:27 AM EDT

Pulitzer for Siddhartha Mukherjee

It was quite a coincidence that I posted my blurb about his book in the morning of the very day when in the afternoon ceremony announcing this year's Pulitzers, the prize for general nonfiction was awarded to Siddhartha Mukherjee for The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer.

posted @ 03:27 PM EDT