Author Archives: Anton

√(-1) am not a number

Posted on Sunday, 2002 March 03 by Anton

An example of why unnecessary proliferation of SSNs bothers me: Worker Accused of Selling Colleagues’ ID’s Online (New York Times). Incidentally: . . . investigators seized . . . a shotgun with a silencer . . . Is such a … Continue reading →

Posted in tax+privacy, weapons | Leave a comment

life imitates old jokes

Posted on Saturday, 2002 March 02 by Anton

Meet the hamster-powered love bug! Toyota, the event’s sponsors, encourage ideas from scientists and members of the public but not all make it into production. Spoilsports! (Vectored by Honeyguide.)

Posted in technology | Leave a comment

neat trick

Posted on Friday, 2002 March 01 by Anton

William Sulik seems to say that we ought to act not on our own mores but on those of our more enlightened descendants. Neat trick if you can manage it: like predicting an innovation.

Posted in history, politics | Leave a comment

√(-1) am not a number!

Posted on Friday, 2002 March 01 by Anton

For an introvert who hates confrontation, being a crank is hard on the nerves. Recently unemployed, I’m shopping around for medical insurance. I prefer not to continue with Aetna, because they put my So-called Social Security Number right on the … Continue reading →

Posted in medicine, tax+privacy | Leave a comment

I don’t drink coffee . . .

Posted on Friday, 2002 March 01 by Anton

. . . or need another computer, but the Cappuccino is too cute to ignore!

Posted in neep-neep | Leave a comment

saving the world

Posted on Thursday, 2002 February 28 by Anton

David Weinberger (JOHO) reports on the Technology Entertainment & Design conference. Here’s something personally interesting: Steven Petranik, editor of Discover magazine, ticked off his Top Ten list of ways the world could end suddenly: 10. Failure to address the worldwide … Continue reading →

Posted in psychology | Leave a comment

physics games

Posted on Thursday, 2002 February 28 by Anton

Greg Egan’s moving story “Border Guards” mentions the game of Quantum Soccer, which he demonstrates with an applet. See also Ruth Chabay‘s game Electric Field Hockey.

Posted in prose, sciences | 3 Comments