Comments on: The Square Root of 98 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/20/the-square-root-of-98/ Random samplings from a universe of ideas. Sun, 05 Jul 2009 07:09:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: Peter http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/20/the-square-root-of-98/#comment-20516 Peter Sun, 25 Feb 2007 01:31:44 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/20/the-square-root-of-98/#comment-20516 What I find worse at San Francisco airport, are these ridiculous people trying to get you to donate money. They are standing at a table, calling you over to them, as if they are some official airport people, that you have to go to, to show your passport or something, and then they want you to donate money. A lot of foreigners (especially asians) end up donating a lot of money, cuz they don't know what is going on there. I hate the fact that SFO allows this, and I can't wait for the next time I am going there, so I can mess with these idiots. What I find worse at San Francisco airport, are these ridiculous people trying to get you to donate money. They are standing at a table, calling you over to them, as if they are some official airport people, that you have to go to, to show your passport or something, and then they want you to donate money.

A lot of foreigners (especially asians) end up donating a lot of money, cuz they don’t know what is going on there.

I hate the fact that SFO allows this, and I can’t wait for the next time I am going there, so I can mess with these idiots.

]]> By: citrine http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/20/the-square-root-of-98/#comment-20473 citrine Mon, 25 Sep 2006 19:21:36 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/20/the-square-root-of-98/#comment-20473 My mother edited a scientific research journal and used to attend international conferences quite a bit. A customs officer who saw the papers she had with her commented "studying too much is not good for the brain". My mother edited a scientific research journal and used to attend international conferences quite a bit. A customs officer who saw the papers she had with her commented “studying too much is not good for the brain”.

]]> By: George http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/20/the-square-root-of-98/#comment-20474 George Mon, 25 Sep 2006 19:05:44 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/20/the-square-root-of-98/#comment-20474 I asked by son, 8, this question. I like is answer the best. Almost 10. I asked by son, 8, this question. I like is answer the best. Almost 10.

]]> By: JoAnne http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/20/the-square-root-of-98/#comment-20475 JoAnne Mon, 25 Sep 2006 18:35:29 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/20/the-square-root-of-98/#comment-20475 Count Iblis: Touché. I didn't think it was possible, but you have come up with a cheese that I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole! Amara: I had 3 kinds - a particularly nice strain of Gorgonzola, a peppercorn Pecorino, and a soft sheep's milk cheese (don't know the name). Tony: While the train theory is interesting, there is no way the customs agent knew I had been on a train. Count Iblis: Touché. I didn’t think it was possible, but you have come up with a cheese that I wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole!

Amara: I had 3 kinds - a particularly nice strain of Gorgonzola, a peppercorn Pecorino, and a soft sheep’s milk cheese (don’t know the name).

Tony: While the train theory is interesting, there is no way the customs agent knew I had been on a train.

]]> By: sysrick.com » links for 2006-09-25 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/20/the-square-root-of-98/#comment-20478 sysrick.com » links for 2006-09-25 Mon, 25 Sep 2006 01:18:46 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/20/the-square-root-of-98/#comment-20478 [...] The Square Root of 98 [...] […] The Square Root of 98 […]

]]> By: Quasar9 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/20/the-square-root-of-98/#comment-20472 Quasar9 Sun, 24 Sep 2006 19:20:19 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/20/the-square-root-of-98/#comment-20472 Amara, you fly some dozen times a year? tut tut I sincerely hope you've planted a veritable forest of trees to compensate for all those air miles, but if you are too busy counting stars, let me know and I'll be more than happy to plant a few xtra on your behalf PS I see at least you let the train take the strain on your way to the airport, but an awful lot of people even in europe still go by private car or taxi. - Amara, you fly some dozen times a year? tut tut
I sincerely hope you’ve planted a veritable forest of trees to compensate for all those air miles, but if you are too busy counting stars, let me know and I’ll be more than happy to plant a few xtra on your behalf
PS I see at least you let the train take the strain on your way to the airport, but an awful lot of people even in europe still go by private car or taxi.
-

]]> By: Count Iblis http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/20/the-square-root-of-98/#comment-20482 Count Iblis Sun, 24 Sep 2006 12:48:51 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/20/the-square-root-of-98/#comment-20482 I'm sure it wasn't <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casu_marzu" rel="nofollow">this type of cheese</a> :) I’m sure it wasn’t this type of cheese :)

]]> By: Amara http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/20/the-square-root-of-98/#comment-20483 Amara Sun, 24 Sep 2006 11:41:58 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/20/the-square-root-of-98/#comment-20483 Dear JoAnne: If I were to guess about your cheese you were carrying back, it was Parmesian Reggiano, which is not pasteurized. The customs people would know that. However, I wonder about the dogs which are supposed to sniff drugs - what happens if the dogs are hungry and they smell a yummy Parmesan cheese? <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parmigiano_Reggiano" rel="nofollow">True Parmesian</a> is aged two years, so there is no need for pasteurization (Aging of cheese is equal to pasteurization). Here is something I <a>googled</a> which talks about why and some of the other cheeses that are in the same no-need-to-pasteurize category. I suppose your trauma with getting through the trains and to the airport were about lack of signs and other indicators for schedules, tracks and connections plus few Italians understanding English. FWIW, indicators to help travellors do function an order of magnitude better in northern Italy (Trieste, Venice..) than in southern Italy (Rome and south). There is a gradient from north to south. I even have the experience of northern Italians who have visited me near Rome being surprised at the poor functioning of the basic services. I know that doesn't help you in the trauma you experienced (I'm truly sorry about that), but I'm saying it could have been much worse. Dear JoAnne: If I were to guess about your cheese you were carrying back, it was Parmesian Reggiano, which is not pasteurized. The customs people would know that. However, I wonder about the dogs which are supposed to sniff drugs - what happens if the dogs are hungry and they smell a yummy Parmesan cheese?

True Parmesian is aged two years, so there is no need for pasteurization (Aging of cheese is equal to pasteurization). Here is something I googled which talks about why and some of the other cheeses that are in the same no-need-to-pasteurize category.

I suppose your trauma with getting through the trains and to the airport were about lack of signs and other indicators for schedules, tracks and connections plus few Italians understanding English. FWIW, indicators to help travellors do function an order of magnitude better in northern Italy (Trieste, Venice..) than in southern Italy (Rome and south). There is a gradient from north to south. I even have the experience of northern Italians who have visited me near Rome being surprised at the poor functioning of the basic services. I know that doesn’t help you in the trauma you experienced (I’m truly sorry about that), but I’m saying it could have been much worse.

]]> By: Amara http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/20/the-square-root-of-98/#comment-20484 Amara Sun, 24 Sep 2006 10:27:05 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/20/the-square-root-of-98/#comment-20484 Tony #21: "My guess is that the train leg of your travel led to some suspicion, and that it has been (since even before 911) a practice to check closely those with a profile of a European train trip leading to an air flight to the USA (effectively a one-way air ticket)." Tony, I think your guess would be wrong. Train travel leading to an airport flight is the most common method of travel with which Europeans reach their airports. In my 8.5 years of living in Europe and ~100 flights (including a couple dozen to the States), I can only count two or three times that I did not have a train trip before. Tony #21: “My guess is that the train leg of your travel led to some suspicion, and that it has been (since even before 911) a practice to check closely those with a profile of a European train trip leading to an air flight to the USA (effectively a one-way air ticket).”

Tony,

I think your guess would be wrong. Train travel leading to an airport flight is the most common method of travel with which Europeans reach their airports. In my 8.5 years of living in Europe and ~100 flights (including a couple dozen to the States), I can only count two or three times that I did not have a train trip before.

]]> By: Quasar9 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/20/the-square-root-of-98/#comment-20485 Quasar9 Sun, 24 Sep 2006 10:17:17 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/20/the-square-root-of-98/#comment-20485 And after the all consuming pillow talk while I let myself sink into blissful sleep I got NASA to compute the <b><a>first 5 million digits</a> of square root of 2</b> And I awoke in the morning hungry for more! --- And after the all consuming pillow talk
while I let myself sink into blissful sleep
I got NASA to compute the
first 5 million digits of square root of 2
And I awoke in the morning hungry for more!
—

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