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You thought you knew maths? YouTube - Alex Bellos demonstrates a very cool, and strange way to multiply:

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How weird is that? ( Via)

Can't afford to buy the book, does anyone know more about the method, because if multiplying were that easy surely they'd be teaching it in schools, especially for the less numerically gifted?


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How cool is this vid?:

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It's part of the campaign for a bid to hold the 72nd World Science Fiction Convention in London in August 2014, which, y'know, would also be cool. The Worldcon is the premier international science fiction event, and awards the prestigious Hugo Awards for achievement in the field of science fiction. 2014 will be the 75th ( Read more... )

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Gah, sometimes you can try to be too clever. Bottom link is to Andrew's fix of the crossposter code, which theoretically auto-selects a userpic, gets the timestamp right and removes the auto formatting. Except that having done so, it's not posted at all today. So either del.icio.us is playing up or I've messed my code. Anyone want to lay odds ( Read more... )

What happens when a group of gamers who prefer European/German board games get told they have to play Advanced Squad Leader? "These rules," he wailed, "all these rules! Look at them--rules for smoke screens, rules for vehicles, rules for tanks who don't have turrets... rules... too many rules. Too much conflict--I don't want to shoot anyone, I just ( Read more... )

ALLSORTS - SRS BZNS

I saw the initial post when it first hit metaquotes but I rarely have time for that filter. Fortunately ems has reposted the whole sorry saga starting at the top. Seriously, go read.

Via davidnm, The 40 most memorable aliens - Times Online. The ranking system is a little strange, and it should more properly be entitled 'extraterrestrial intelligences' rather than aliens. Number two is obvious, number one? Well, everything else on the list is fictional...

beau_bo_d_or_fd has the full story.

flemco linked to this high res SteamPunk genius yesterday, and tyrell has just reminded me by posting a YouTube link so I can't resist embedding it, but I really recommend the higher res version for added goodness.

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I was hooked by the time the argument started, so wonderfully stereotypical. Then they go to the dueling field. and bring on the warjacks. So very