Author Archives: Anton

looking for sanity checks in an insane world

Posted on Tuesday, 2008 July 08 by Anton

Some years ago, using basic theorems of hyperbolic trigonometry, I worked out a conformal representation of the hyperbolic plane which preserves one line – analogous to the Mercator projection of the sphere, a conformal map which preserves one great circle. … Continue reading →

Posted in mathematics | 1 Comment

Vince Miller

Posted on Sunday, 2008 June 29 by Anton

The “Master of the Revolution”, cofounder of the International Society for Individual Liberty, a former flatmate of mine who taught me much about firearms, has died. Tributes: Tom Knapp, Joseph Bast (Heartland Institute), Sieg Pedde, Tim Starr, Classically Liberal, LPUS … Continue reading →

Posted in California, politics | Leave a comment

what the cat did in the night-time

Posted on Friday, 2008 June 06 by Anton

Whenever I get settled in my big chair, Pillow (the junior cat) is all over me; but when I’m in bed he almost never comes within reach. So I was surprised when, on waking in the night, I found him … Continue reading →

Posted in medicine, pets | 3 Comments

link salad

Posted on Wednesday, 2008 May 28 by Anton

The latest fire in the Santa Cruz Mountains recalls an idea of mine: import ice boulders from Saturn’s rings, put them in Earth orbit, and drop them on fires as needed. Is that crazy? Misc links: a somewhat nerdy pun; … Continue reading →

Posted in cartoons | Leave a comment

to balance a calendar

Posted on Wednesday, 2008 May 07 by Anton

A Martian year is 668.6 Martian days; that’s 3.4 less than 24×28. I asked myself, how should the short months be arranged for best ‘balance’? I ran all combinations and this is it: The three big dots represent the missing … Continue reading →

Posted in calendars | Tagged | 3 Comments

paraphrasing Groucho

Posted on Tuesday, 2008 April 29 by Anton

Another Facebook “friend” request from a foaf I’ve never heard of. This one appears to be a scientist, in a field of which I approve, and we have six “friends” in common – or five, not counting one of his … Continue reading →

Posted in society | Leave a comment

Netflix oddities

Posted on Tuesday, 2008 April 22 by Anton

Netflix’s subgenre “Dramas Based on Classic Literature” includes Driving Miss Daisy, an adaptation of a play first staged in 1987. A list of recommendations for me shows some surprising and even dubious inferences: Life in the Undergrowth — Because you … Continue reading →

Posted in cinema | 1 Comment