Certainty and Symmetry August 30, 2010
Posted by nrhatch in Life Balance, People.comments closed
We’ve enjoyed some Fun with Words:
* From Foxes with Sockses to Speed Bumps
* From Anagram Antics to Aphorisms Aa to Zz
* From Doublet Challenges to Fun Puns
Now, lets enjoy some Fun with Numbers!
Specifically, let’s see if we can balance the books and get things to add up:
1. Mathematical certainty is one thing, mathematical symmetry another:
1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321
2. Who says that ONE is the loneliest number?
1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111
3. Why is “6” afraid of “7”? Because 7 . . . 8 . . . 9.
4. Another tower of power, featuring the numeral “8” ~ quite brilliant, eh?
9 x 9 + 7 = 88
98 x 9 + 6 = 888
987 x 9 + 5 = 8888
9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888
5. Finally, take a look at this gorgeous symmetry:
1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321
111111111 x 111111111 = 12345678987654321
Stay tuned.
More Fun with Numbers coming soon!
Related post: SPOOKY: Last post = DCLXVI (666)
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Inspiration: e-mail from unknown mathematician
More Than Meets The Eye August 30, 2010
Posted by nrhatch in People.comments closed
It’s time to elect a new world leader, and only your vote counts. Here are the facts about the three candidates.
Who would you vote for?
Candidate A:
Associates with crooked politicians, and consults with astrologist. He’s had two mistresses. He chain smokes and drinks 8 to 10 martinis a day.
Candidate B:
He was kicked out of office twice, sleeps until noon, used opium in college and drinks a quart of whiskey every evening.
Candidate C:
He’s a decorated war hero, a vegetarian, doesn’t smoke, drinks only an occasional beer, and never cheated on his wife.
Which of these candidates would be your choice?
Do you have enough information to make a decision? Is there anything else you want to know?
Outward appearances can be deceiving. There’s more to people, especially consummate politicians, than meets the eye.
So, are you ready to meet the Candidates?
Here they are . . .
Wikipedia ~ FDR (in Public Domain)
Candidate A:
Franklin D. Roosevelt ~ A 1999 survey by C-SPAN found that by a wide margin academic historians consider Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and Roosevelt the three greatest presidents, consistent with other surveys.
Roosevelt is the sixth most admired person from the 20th century by US citizens, according to Gallup.
[Source: Wikipedia]
Next up . . .
Candidate B:
Wikipedia ~ Winston Churchill (in Public Domain)
Winston Churchill ~ A noted statesman and orator, Churchill was also an officer in the British Army, a historian, writer and artist.
To date, he is the only British prime minister to have received the Nobel Prize in Literature, and the first person to be recognised as an honorary citizen of the United States.
He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953 “for his mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values”
[Source: Wikipedia]
Last (and least) . . .
Candidate C:
Wikipedia ~ Adolf Hitler (in Public Domain)
Adolf Hitler ~ Hitler, the Nazi Party and the results of Nazism are typically regarded as gravely immoral.
Historians, philosophers, and politicians have often applied the word evil in both a secular and a religious sense.
Historical and cultural portrayals of Hitler in the west are overwhelmingly condemnatory.
The display of swastikas or other Nazi symbols is prohibited in Germany and Austria. Holocaust denial is also prohibited in both countries.
[Source: Wikipedia]
Moral of the story: You can’t judge a book by its cover.
Related post: Heaven (Or A Reasonable Facsimile)
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Inspiration: e-mail from unknown author provided background “facts” for each of the 3 candidates. The facts are “true” to the best of my knowledge.
Virtual Reality August 30, 2010
Posted by nrhatch in Humor, Joke, Word Play.comments closed
Lexophiles love words, especially a good play on words (or even a bad play on words).
Most of these puns came from e-mails I’ve saved over the years. A few are of more recent vintage.
Enjoy this glimpse into the world of virtual reality:
1. What do you call a will?
That’s easy! A dead giveaway.
2. Why did the Buddhist refuse Novocaine at the dentist during a root canal?
He wanted to transcend dental medication.
3. My mother warned me not to join dangerous cults.
Same here. She told me to practice safe sects.
4. How would you describe Atheism?
Hmm . . . it’s a non-prophet organization.
5. What did the sign on the lawn at the drug rehab center say?
Keep off the Grass.
6. What happened when the actress saw her first strands of gray hair?
She thought she’d dye.
7. Why didn’t you try to catch that woman when she swooned?
Seemed to be more feint than faint.
8. How would you characterize someone who jumps off a Paris bridge?
They’re in Seine.
9. What happened to the dead batteries?
They were given away free of charge.
10. How would you describe a plateau?
It’s a high form of flattery.
Stay tuned.
More Fun with Puns tomorrow.
Can’t wait?
Visit PUNS ~ A Play On Words
Heaven (Or A Reasonable Facsimile) August 30, 2010
Posted by nrhatch in Humor, Joke, People.comments closed
A man and his dog were walking along a road.
The man was enjoying the scenery, when suddenly it occurred to him that he was dead. He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years.
He wondered where the road was leading them.
After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall of fine marble along one side of the road. The wall contained an archway with a magnificent gate inlaid with pearls. The street on the far side of the gate was paved with pure gold.
The traveler and the dog walked toward the gate. As he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side, and called out, “Excuse me, where are we?”
“This is Heaven, sir.”
“Wow!” exclaimed the traveler. “Would you happen to have some water?”
“Sure,” the man said as he gestured to open the gate, “Come in, and I’ll have some ice water brought right up.”
“Can my friend,” gesturing toward his dog, “come in, too?” asked the traveler.
“I’m sorry, sir, but we don’t accept pets.”
The traveler nodded, thanked the man, and turned away from the pearly gates to continue walking with his dog.
Eventually, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence.
As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.
“Excuse me!” he called to the man. “Do you have any water?”
“Yeah, sure, there’s a pump over there, come on in.”
“How about my friend here?” the traveler gestured to the dog.
“There should be a bowl by the pump.”
Sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it. The traveler filled the water bowl for the dog, then cupped his hands to take a drink himself.
Thirsts quenched, they walked back toward the man standing by the tree.
“What do you call this place?” the traveler asked.
“This is Heaven.”
“Well, that’s confusing,” the traveler said. “The man down the road said that was Heaven, too.”
“Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That’s hell.”
“Really? Doesn’t it make you mad that they use your name like that?”
“Nope. It’s OK by us. Saves us time.”
“How so?”
“They screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind.”
Related post: Thirst (Naomi’s Notes)
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Source: e-mail from an unkown author, polished up a bit.
Spirit Lights The Way 