Numberplay: The 13-Link Chain Puzzle

Numberplay: The 13-Link Chain Puzzle - NYTimes.com: "Mr. Jones has two children. The older child is a girl. What is the probability that both children are girls? Mr. Smith has two children. At least one of them is a boy. What is the probability that both children are boys?"

Three Ways I've Simplified My Life Using Pen and Paper Instead of Technology

Three Ways I've Simplified My Life Using Pen and Paper Instead of Technology: "Technology is awesome. With a smartphone in your pocket and a laptop on your desk, you only need to remember which programs you're using as your external brain. While the bulk of those processes work great for me—I'm still a die-hard pen and paper addict. Here's why."

Flexagon but Not Forgotten: Celebrating Martin Gardner’s Birthday | Observations, Scientific American Blog Network

Flexagon but Not Forgotten: Celebrating Martin Gardner’s Birthday | Observations, Scientific American Blog Network: "October 21 is the anniversary of Martin Gardner’s birth. Gardner (1914-2010) is a legend in recreational (and professional) mathematics circles. Although he had little mathematical training, his 1956-1981 Scientific American column ‘Mathematical Games’ has had a huge impact on the way people view math. In a Science Talk podcast shortly after Gardner’s death, Douglas Hofstadter, author of the popular math book Gödel, Escher, Bach, said that for himself and many others, ‘Scientific American was just the wrapping for Martin Gardner’s column.’"

Mathgen paper accepted! | That's Mathematics!

Mathgen paper accepted! | That's Mathematics!: "Mathgen paper accepted! Posted on September 14, 2012 I’m pleased to announce that Mathgen has had its first randomly-generated paper accepted by a reputable journal!"

Mathgen: Randomly generated math papers

Mathgen: Randomly generated math papers: "Produce your own math paper, full of research-level, professionally formatted nonsense! Just enter your name and those of up to 3 'co-authors'."

Government Releases More Declassified Flying Saucer Docs - Popular Mechanics

Government Releases More Declassified Flying Saucer Docs - Popular Mechanics: "The staff at the National Declassification Center in College Park, Md., knew they found something interesting when they cracked open a cardboard box and saw cutaway schematics of flying saucers printed on the pages. The pages describe an Air Force flying saucer program that started in the mid-1950s and ended in 1961. In the upper right hand of each page was the icon of a flying disc stamped over a red arrow, the insignia of Project 1794. "

Is lightspeed really a limit?

Is lightspeed really a limit? • The Register: "We don’t (yet) have any way to test this, but University of Adelaide applied mathematicians are suggesting that an extended version of Einstein’s Theory of Special Relativity also holds true for velocities beyond lightspeed.

One of the main predictions of Special Relativity is that the speed of light is treated as an absolute cosmic speed limit, the line which can never be crossed; and even the notorious ‘faster-than-light neutrino’ incident in 2011 has left the theory intact as one of the most robust in physics.

However, during the speculation that surrounded the neutrino discussion last year1, the University of Adelaide’s Professor Jim Hill and Dr Barry Cox considered the question of how the mathematical contradictions posed by a faster-than-light particle could be aligned with Special Relativity.

Their solution, which Professor Hill discussed with The Register,2 rested on ignoring the speed of light’s status as an absolute limit, and instead, using the information where the relative velocity of two observers is infinite."