|
About This Author
Come closer.
|
Complex Numbers
Complex Numbers
A complex number is expressed in the standard form a + bi, where a and b are real numbers and i is defined by i^2 = -1 (that is, i is the square root of -1). For example, 3 + 2i is a complex number.
The bi term is often referred to as an imaginary number (though this may be misleading, as it is no more "imaginary" than the symbolic abstractions we know as the "real" numbers). Thus, every complex number has a real part, a, and an imaginary part, bi.
Complex numbers are often represented on a graph known as the "complex plane," where the horizontal axis represents the infinity of real numbers, and the vertical axis represents the infinity of imaginary numbers. Thus, each complex number has a unique representation on the complex plane: some closer to real; others, more imaginary. If a = b, the number is equal parts real and imaginary.
Very simple transformations applied to numbers in the complex plane can lead to fractal structures of enormous intricacy and astonishing beauty.
August 30, 2009 at 11:53pm August 30, 2009 at 11:53pm
| |
I struggle between laziness and stubbornness. Stubbornness says, "Do what SM said. Read the Health Care Bill and summarize it."
Laziness chuckles, yawns and rolls over.
So instead of weighty political summaries, I present a gift idea for that young daughter, niece, goddaughter, or whatever in your life.
http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/gizmodo/2009/08/pole-dancer.jpg
Start 'em early, that's what I say. Hey, it's supposed to be good for you, right?
At least there's no Hello Kitty on it. |
August 24, 2009 at 11:59pm August 24, 2009 at 11:59pm
| |
I rarely wax political here, but this article caught my eye.
http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2009083205/fascist-america-are-we-there-yet
All through the dark years of the Bush Administration, progressives watched in horror as Constitutional protections vanished, nativist rhetoric ratcheted up, hate speech turned into intimidation and violence, and the president of the United States seized for himself powers only demanded by history's worst dictators. With each new outrage, the small handful of us who'd made ourselves experts on right-wing culture and politics would hear once again from worried readers: Is this it? Have we finally become a fascist state? Are we there yet?
There's been a lot of rhetoric fired across the news and internet lately, and what at first glance seems like the same old tired arguments may actually be the front line of a concerted emotional attack on our future. The people involved know that they don't have to win our minds; they only have to win our feelings.
Top of the list for me was one of the latest right-wing attacks on Obama, painting him with a Hitler mustache and calling him a fascist.
Normally I'd be like, "Whatever." It should be self-evident that Obama is not a fascist - at worst, he's a proponent of limited socialism, which, once the Right decided to turn that into a pejorative, I decided isn't a bad thing at all. Basically, these days, whatever the right-wing loonies decide is a Good Thing, I figure is a Bad Thing. Which is too bad, because I tend to agree with the fiscal conservatives - just not the social conservatives.
Well, now the two are conflated, and I can't be in the middle anymore. I have to choose a side. The problem is this:
The right wing is going to win.
When it comes to the war between heart and mind, mind doesn't stand a chance. It never did. There are no right-wing intellectuals anymore; they've all defected. Now they're all Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin - idiots at first glance, but there's a method to their madness, and that method is to convince us all that black is white, up is down, freedom is slavery, and war is peace.
Consider that, when the war in Iraq was in full excrement under Bush, the left protested. "No unjust war." "Don't kill people for oil." That sort of thing. Rhetoric. I mostly ignored it, while keeping tabs on it. Meanwhile, the smug segment of the right kicked back and counted their cash, secure in the knowledge that they'd be in charge through the New American Century.
Now they're not in charge, and their replacement is trying to institute a public option for health care. I don't know what the details of the plan are right now; I can't find out because they're obscured under a haze of rhetoric, mostly shots fired from the right-wing that scream "socialism" and "fascism" - two forms of government which, anybody but a complete moron knows, are completely incompatible. Okay, yes, the name of the Nazi party was "National Socialists," but that's just an example of a political party using language to convince everyone that they're something other than what they are, like the Red Chinese calling themselves a People's Republic.
So on the left we have: Don't take my taxes and use it to kill people.
On the right we have: Don't take my taxes and use it to heal people.
So that's it. That's the ideological divide that's been nagging at me for a while, and it finally came to me that there's nothing right about the right. Okay, yes, there is, but whatever is good and useful on the Republican side has been obscured under a miasma of town-hall screeching designed to... what? Keep the status quo? If some of these people aren't being paid directly by health insurance companies, I'll munch on my fedora.
Notice that I'm not saying we should or should not have a public option for health care. I don't have an ante at that table, and, like I said, I can't figure out what's actually being proposed. It's the larger questions, and the tactics, that are perturbing me.
What is fascism?
The word has been bandied about by so many people so wrongly for so long that, as Paxton points out, "Everybody is somebody else's fascist." Given that, I always like to start these conversations by revisiting Paxton's essential definition of the term:
"Fascism is a system of political authority and social order intended to reinforce the unity, energy, and purity of communities in which liberal democracy stands accused of producing division and decline."
Given the choice between fascism and socialism, give me socialism. But I don't believe it's a binary choice at all - there's room for a lot of compromise in our system.
The trouble is, I'll be forced to make that choice. And if I come out as a liberal, I could be in severe danger.
I may have to don some protective coloration, soon. I can pass as one of them. It may be the only way to survive.
Fortunately, I already have a future history in place for my science-fiction stories that presupposed a fascist theocracy in place in most of what is now the United States.
Sometimes, I hate being right. |
August 18, 2009 at 8:54pm August 18, 2009 at 8:54pm
| |
40 years, man.
I remember the moon landing, but I didn't find out about Woodstock until many years after the fact. Well, what can I say? I was three, and my parents tried to shelter me. Fat lot of good that did.
As my friend Pat used to say, "Woodstock, where 2 babies were born and thousands more conceived."
One video pretty much sums it up. I've posted this before, but this way I get to take advantage of the new video link capability:
|
August 11, 2009 at 3:35pm August 11, 2009 at 3:35pm
| |
One of my favorite musical artists will be in town. I already have tickets 
http://www.darwilliams.com/index.php?page=calendar&display=482
I've seen her perform once before, but that was before I really knew her songs.
Should be pretty awesome
And what's the future, who will choose it?
Politics of love and music
Underdogs who turn the tables
Indie versus major labels
There's so much to see through
Like our parents do more drugs than we do
Oh....
Corporate parents, corporate towns
I know every TV set that has them lit
They preach that I should save the world
They pray that I won't do a better job of it
Pray that I won't do a better job
So tonight I turned your station on just so I'd be understood
Instead another voice said I was just too late
And just no good.... |
August 10, 2009 at 11:10pm August 10, 2009 at 11:10pm
| |
True story
(and I don't know what made me think of it just now)
I have a friend who spent 20 years in the military as an NCO. I'll call him "Ed" because that's his name and only two people who read this know him, and they already know the story.
At one point, just before he was to be redeployed at a different base, Ed, a single man, attended a wedding that was a bit heavy on the bridesmaids. Young, attractive bridesmaids. Ed spent the time drinking and hitting on the bridesmaids with no success whatsoever.
As he was turned down by the last bridesmaid, Ed decided, "What the hell; I'm leaving anyway."
So he said, "No? Well, then, I suppose a blow job in the parking lot is out of the question."
She paused, then said, "Let me finish my drink."
So it is to Ed's honor that I dedicate this demotivator:
|
| |
First of all, we have this Cracked shard trying to determine if Bill Clinton, in his recent rescue of American prisoners in North Korea, is more like McClain (with an L. The Willis character) or Bond:
http://www.cracked.com/blog/bill-clinton-bond-or-mcclane/
I am totally prepared to sell way the hell out and hand over some derivative, piece-of-shit biopic about Clinton's ridiculous, as-of-now completely mysterious North Korean exploits, completely ready for a Christmas release. My problem, in looking over the facts, is deciding if Clinton is John McClane or James Bond.
My take? Whatever else you can say about Clinton, he's definitely American (so is Obama - get over it, birther idiots), so I'm going by McClain. Yippee-ki-yay, Hillary.
And...
If I were giving out Wikipedia Awards, this entry would win one:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenney,_Minnesota
For this gem:
The population bottomed out at 2 sometime after the 2000 census, but due to the energetic efforts of current residents, the population has again risen to six, and efforts to attract more residents are ongoing.
Keep up the energetic efforts, Tenney! |
August 5, 2009 at 11:10pm August 5, 2009 at 11:10pm
| |
It's been pointed out to me (though I already knew it) that most of my recent blog entries have been, well, links to funny stuff. People like links to funny stuff, but maybe someone's reading this to actually find out what I'm up to.
Thing is, not much has been going on in Waltzland. My wife's away for a few days, leading me to discover that bare skin sticks to my computer chair. My cats are hungry, even after I feed them - which is probably a good thing, as the ant infestation seems to be subsiding due to their diligence. Still, that means I can't train the ants to become my unholy army of the night.
Work is slow, because despite the stock market's optimism, the economy still sucks golf balls through garden hoses. It's been raining a lot around here, which means I haven't heard shit about "drought," "water restrictions," or "hot enough for ya?" First person to mention "drought" to me this summer gets a super-soaker in the face.
[In person, that is. Still, don't tempt me. I know where some of you live.]
My writing has been, well, nonexistent, other than to make snarky comments on internet forums or comment about funny links. And newsletters, which is something, anyway.
I've been going to a local science fiction & fantasy book club for the past few months. We meet once a month to discuss the assigned book, plus whatever other books we've been reading, and to complain about crappy science fiction movies (that is, this year, every one except Watchmen and Star Trek. Shut up, Stik.) I think I'm the only married person there. Surprisingly enough, at the last meeting, women outnumbered men (and we didn't end up discussing Twilight).
Oh, and I went to New York City over the weekend. Somehow never got around to mentioning that. I've been there three times this year, now, so it almost seems routine. Got some good pictures, though.
Which reminds me - I finally broke down (literally broke) and bought a Nikon digital SLR. It fucking ROCKS. Maybe I'll post some pictures here, or at least links. But not in this entry, since I said "no links."
And I can't believe it's freaking AUGUST already. Damn. |
August 4, 2009 at 11:55pm August 4, 2009 at 11:55pm © Copyright 2025 Robert Waltz (UN: cathartes02 at Writing.Com). All rights reserved.
Robert Waltz has granted InkSpot.Com, its affiliates and its syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work.
|
I'm more than happy with Carrion Luggage, however.
Comment • View 8 comments 
![Merit Badge in Quill Award
[Click For More Info]
Congratulations on winning Best Blog in the 2021 edition of [Link To Item #quills] !](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Quill_Award-1375927_6.gif)
![Merit Badge in Quill Award 2
[Click For More Info]
2022 Quill Award - Best Blog - [Link To Item #1196512] . Congratulations!!!](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Quill_Award_2-1375927_6.gif)
![Merit Badge in 30DBC Winner
[Click For More Info]
Congratulations on winning the Jan. 2019 [Link To Item #30dbc] !!](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-30DBC_Winner-2064535_14.gif)
![Merit Badge in Blogging
[Click For More Info]
Congratulations on winning an honorable mention for Best Blog at the 2018 Quill Awards for [Link To Item #1196512] . *^*Smile*^* This award was sponsored by the blogging consortium including [Link To Item #30dbc] , [Link To Item #blogcity] , [Link To Item #bcof] and [Link To Item #1953629] . For more details, see [Link To Item #quills] .](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/type-Blogging-2180.gif)
![Merit Badge in Highly Recommended
[Click For More Info]
I highly recommend your blog.](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/Kudos-Highly_Recommended.gif)
![Merit Badge in Opinion
[Click For More Info]
For diving into the prompts for Journalistic Intentions- thanks for joining the fun!](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/genre-Opinion-1150.gif)
![Merit Badge in High Five
[Click For More Info]
For your inventive entries in [Link To Item #2213121] ! Thanks for the great read!](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/Kudos-High_Five.gif)
![Merit Badge in Enlightening
[Click For More Info]
For winning 3rd Place in [Link To Item #2213121] . Congratulations!](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/general-Enlightening.gif)
![Merit Badge in Quarks Bar
[Click For More Info]
For your awesome Klingon Bloodwine recipe from [Link to Book Entry #1016079] that deserves to be on the topmost shelf at Quark's.](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Quarks_Bar-2046190_12.gif)
