The Health Case for Invading Greece

The new SMBC comic is amusing.

(It also makes a good dig at the US for its invading habits.)

Surreal

The Major League Baseball game in Baltimore today was surreal.

It feels almost like a scene out of an apocalyptic movie (except that the stadium was in excellent condition).

Update: Here are some images from the game.

Tales from the ArXiv: "Finding a Mate With No Social Skills"

Well, the title of this paper says it all, doesn't it?

In fact, there is a wonderful ambiguity in the article title: it can either refer to finding a mate without using any social skills or, more amusingly, to finding a mate who doesn't have any social skills.

If it refers to the latter and people circulate this study widely enough, maybe people like me can finally have some hope? :)

Update (4/30/15): Here is my post on this topic for the Improbable Research blog.

The Physics of Water-Skipping Stones

See my post on the Improbable Research blog.

Playing in an Empty Stadium

Tomorrow's game between the Orioles and the White Sox, which is occurring in Baltimore, will be closed to the public. That is going to be eerie.

(Tip of the cap to The Baseball Project.)

Update: Here is the ESPN.com article about the game.

Are We Living in a Virtual Reality from a C+ Class Project?

At SMBC today, the artist asks whether we living in a virtual reality from a C+ class project.

I am amused.

Donating my GameCube for a Good Cause

I just donated my GameCube and its controllers and games to the Somerville undergrads (aka: JCR), because apparently they were still mostly using a Nintendo 64 for their gaming.

I hadn't used my GameCube in many years (not since I bought a Wii when I was a postdoc at Caltech), and it hadn't occurred to me previously that they might want it.

I am happy to see it get used instead of it just sitting on my shelf and taking up space.

Some people donate money for buildings or scholarships; I donate video games. Somehow, it seems fitting.

Trojan Butterflies

I recently wrote a blurb for the Improbable Research blog on what I like to call "trojan butterflies". As you will see from my blurb and the article to which I link therein, the monicker is apt and the phenomenon is fascinating.

What Happens in The Other Place Stays in The Other Place (2015 Edition)

I made it to The Other Place on the train today. Tomorrow, I'll be giving an invited talk as part of the Launch Conference for the University of Cambridge's SIAM Student Chapter.

The Chapter president did a research project with me as an undergrad, so yet again the alums from my research group are demonstrating how awesome they are. It's great to see Cambridge start a SIAM Student Chapter.

Iowa is #1 in the US in Lost Chickens

Yup, it's apparently true. I guess there is an official way to keep track of lost chickens.

In the map at the other end of the link, you'll see a visualization of one item that each state in the US leads every other state in per capita. Victory!

And given what California leads in, I guess I should point out that I am a Californian.

(Tip of the cap to George Takei.)

Peer Review in Pictures

Yes and Hell Yes!

That's really how it works.

Mmm... Soup Dumplings

I am a big fan of Shanghai Soup Dumplings, and I had a chance to have a bunch of good ones when I spent three weeks in Shanghai five years ago. But, wow, some people have OCD about it.

A Baseball Tirade for the Ages

Reds manager Bryan Price just had a tirade for the ages. (You can also listen to Price's rant on YouTube.)

Also, it makes me nostalgic for Tommy Lasorda's heyday as manager of the Dodgers, though the style seemed much closer to Lee Elia's famous tirade.

Update: Here is Rob Neyer's article about the incident. The article includes links to Elia's tirade as well as one from Hal McRae.

"Extraction of Force-Chain Network Architecture in Granular Materials Using Community Detection"

A new paper by my collaborators and me came out last week in the journal Soft Matter, and the inside front cover picture of the associated issue of the journal goes with our article. Here are the details about the article.


Title: Extraction of Force-Chain Network Architecture in Granular Materials Using Community Detection

Authors: Danielle S. Bassett, Eli T. Owens, Mason A. Porter, M. Lisa Manning, and Karen E. Daniels

Abstract: Force chains form heterogeneous physical structures that can constrain the mechanical stability and acoustic transmission of granular media. However, despite their relevance for predicting bulk properties of materials, there is no agreement on a quantitative description of force chains. Consequently, it is difficult to compare the force-chain structures in different materials or experimental conditions. To address this challenge, we treat granular materials as spatially-embedded networks in which the nodes (particles) are connected by weighted edges that represent contact forces. We use techniques from community detection, which is a type of clustering, to find sets of closely connected particles. By using a geographical null model that is constrained by the particles' contact network, we extract chain-like structures that are reminiscent of force chains. We propose three diagnostics to measure these chain- like structures, and we demonstrate the utility of these diagnostics for identifying and characterizing classes of force-chain network architectures in various materials. To illustrate our methods, we describe how force-chain architecture depends on pressure for two very different types of packings: (1) ones derived from laboratory experiments and (2) ones derived from idealized, numerically-generated frictionless packings. By resolving individual force chains, we quantify statistical properties of force-chain shape and strength, which are potentially crucial diagnostics of bulk properties (including material stability). These methods facilitate quantitative comparisons between different particulate systems, regardless of whether they are measured experimentally or numerically.

X-Ray Images of a Python Digesting an Alligator

These images are pretty cool.

New Prescription-Strength Nature

The sad thing is that I assumed that this video about prescription-strength nature was referring to the journal Nature rather than to actual nature. I think I need to get out more.

(I was also wondering if the prescription-level version had less bullshit than the off-the-counter version.)

Clearly, a parody of this parody video is in order.

Some Awesome Detention Notes

A few of the detention notes compiled here are spectacular --- like the one with a reason that was first listed as 'flying' but was then switched to 'leaping w/ intent to fly'.

The one from 1994 is depressing. Apparently, one should just accept what others say without questioning. (I remember getting into some trouble with teachers in first grade when the answer to subtraction problems like '3 - 5' was officially that there was no answer because one wasn't allowed to do it, but I would insist rather emphatically* that it was '-2'.)

* I.e., I haven't changed.

(Tip of the cap to Maria Satterwhite and George Takei.)

Sociomath Workshop: Best. Google Search. Ever.

I am going to be a plenary speaker at a workshop on "Socio-mathematics" at Imperial College in November. I was curious to see if there is a website, but Google seems to think that other words might be more appropriate.

Thank you, Google.

XKCD's Entertainment Scenery Cheatsheet

I really like today's XKCD. I approve! (Also, it is highly appropriate for the film I saw on Monday.)

Will There Be a Mass Editorial Resignation at Scientific Reports?

Will There Be a Mass Editorial Resignation at Scientific Reports?

There might be.

(And a "Way to go!" and a "Huzzah!" to my colleagues from the complex-systems community for taking this action!)