Saturday, April 18, 2026

down the rabbit hole

 

It’s 5:40 pm. I’m upstairs at the dining table reading my sister’s astronomy and space encyclopedia. Still in the middle of it but I’m enjoying it like the ones I read earlier. Might also read Signal 100 for half an hour then switch to a movie. But I might just keep reading for fun.



“Solitude was the essential part of his genius.”

Isaac Newton (2003) by James Gleick






I don’t know what’s the matter with people: they don’t learn by understanding; they learn by some other way–by rote, or something.

"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!": Adventures of a Curious Character






The ancient Egyptians created the first 365 day solar calendar. The ancient Romans made adjustments and added one extra day every four years.

 

In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII (the 13th) corrected the problems. He ordered that three leap years should be skipped every 400 years. We use the Gregorian calendar today, named for Pope Gregory.

— Rourke's World of Science Encyclopedia: Volume 7: Astronomy and Space






Suppose three men can paint three fences in three hours. How long would it take one man to paint one fence? It’s tempting to blurt out “one hour.”



The correct answer is three hours.

— The Joy of x by Steven Strogatz





“There are 100 signals to activate your suicide.”

— Arata Miyatsuki







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down the rabbit hole

  It’s 5:40 pm. I’m upstairs at the dining table reading my sister’s astronomy and space encyclopedia. Still in the middle of it but I’m enj...