PI Day (and happy birthday to Albert Einstein)...

Today is PI day - March 14th, or 3/14.  Of course a close approximation to PI is 3.14 - so PI day.  I know, I am a nerd. 

More about PI Day:

Pi Day is celebrated on March 14th (3/14) around the world. Pi (Greek letter 𝛑) is the symbol used in mathematics to represent a constant — the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter — which is approximately 3.14159.

Pi has been calculated to over one trillion digits beyond its decimal point. As an irrational and transcendental number, it will continue infinitely without repetition or pattern. While only a handful of digits are needed for typical calculations, Pi’s infinite nature makes it a fun challenge to memorize, and to computationally calculate more and more digits.

Equally exciting today is the birthday of one of the 20th centuries greatest thinkers: Albert Einstein. He is responsible for our modern understanding of Space-Time, evidence for atomic theory and the photoelectric effect which laid the groundwork for Quantum Physics.  Known the world over for the formula E=MC² as well as his theories of Relativity, few people realize that he was never awarded a Nobel prize for this revolutionary work, but rather received his Nobel prize for an obscure piece he wrote regarding the law of the photoelectric effect which was awarded to him in 1921.

So - enjoy a piece of Pie today as you enjoy PI.  It is all around you.

References:
http://www.piday.org
http://www.nobelprize.org
http://www.biography.com/news/pi-day-albert-einstein-facts

Choosing to Disconnect...

Get a life - Dislike Facebook

Last week I discovered I had just a little too much of Facebook.  It permeates our lives in unimaginable ways.  We are addicted to the feedback of others and draw to post trivialities and share meaningless blurbs and memes and encourage others to do the same.  We spread fake news, never bothering to validate whether the facts are real and worse - we spread gossip about others.  When we don't have anything else to share we post nonsense asking others to repost if they agree or we flame one group of individuals or political persuasion as if there is no way you could be wrong.

Facebook has become toxic.  The hatred and intolerance that is posted is beyond the pal.  If we really practice this level of thought and discourse in our minds and in our lives interacting with real people then we are truly pitiful people.

I hate the ads and I hate the videos.  I hate that when I tell Facebook that I want to see less of something I still see just as much.  I wanted to take my wall back but Facebook just would not let me - so I am disconnecting.

I am not happy that a good tool has been ruined.  I will miss reading about the important things happening in the lives of my distant family.  Births, graduations, marriages and deaths.  But I have other options.  This blog is one of them.

My phone still works.  Maybe we should call each other more often.  Maybe we should write - remember that?  Putting pen to paper and writing a letter.  It still works, and you don't even need to charge the writing device to get it to work.

So look for me other places.  Maybe the coffee shop.  I love coffee and love to connect.  Lets all try to take a little bit back from Facebook maybe?  Do you need to disconnect - of course not.  But we need to remember to not trade our humaneness for an artificial online experience.

"Life in an American State"

- Brad