1675: Gottfried Leibniz writes the integral sign ∫ in an unpublished manuscript, introducing the calculus notation that’s still in use today.

Leibniz was a German mathematician and philosopher who readily crossed the lines between academic disciplines. He had a doctorate in law, served as secretary of the Nuremberg alchemical society and fancied himself a poet. (Quite a polymath)
The math department of St. Bonaventure University in western New York state celebrates Integral Day on Oct. 29 to honor Leibniz. The mathematics suite is decorated with integral and summation ornaments, and students and faculty eat “calculus cookies” and imbibe “summation cider,” presumably with infinitesimal nibbles and sips. Students compete in a calculus contest to win a gift certificate at the college bookstore.

Story from wired.com

Last week my son Matthew had extensive hip surgery at Seattle Children’s Hospital.  Now he’s home in a spica cast recovering.  This is no fun for any of us.  With a little luck he’ll be out of his cast in time for Christmas.  This link explains the procedure he went through and why it was necessary.  Plus here are two medical papers showing we likely did the right thing by having this surgery.  To show we haven’t lost our humor, we might take him trick-or-treating as a mummy.

The tragedy of 9/11 is not an abstract memory or a chapter reserved for future history books.  It is real.  It involved real people.  One of
those innocent victims was Antonio Melendez.

He married his childhood sweetheart in Acatlan, Puebla, Mexico and moved to America in hopes of a better life.   He was living the American dream and at only 30 years old, he took the morning train from his home in the Bronx to the WTC that fateful day.  He worked at the Windows on the World restaurant on the 107th floor of the North Tower.  That’s where he was when the plane hit.  That’s where he died. This husband and father of four declined having his dinners for free at one the finest restaurants in Manhattan, so he could eat with family every night when he got home. He was well loved and missed.

I remember you today Antonio Melendez. I will not forget.

For the 2996 Project.

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

by John McCrae (Doctor, Candian Army during WWI)

We hosted the Easter dinner at our house this year. Honey Baked Ham provided the main dish, others brought sides, and we contributed the following: Swiss Vegetable Medley & Chocolate Eclair Squares. Both received compliments; but to be honest, the vegetable dish wasn’t so great the next day.

I’ve been blogging for a whole year now.  Where does the time go?  I’ve recently added Stumble Upon to my browser so I can continue my quest for the interesting and thought provoking.  Here’s two such posts:

Are you a geek?  Do you have habits that your non-geek signifigant other does not always appreciate?  Guilty, but I won’t tell you which one.

For all you grammar-nazis, here’s the 32 most heinous crimes of the english language.

1am – Wife calls to tell me how bad a night our son is having at the hospital (he had a feeding tube placed on Tuesday). But he wasn’t the only one…

2:45am – Daughter wakes up screaming. After picking her up out of her crib I am repaid by vomiting. I stay cool. After changing her PJs and my shirt, I try rocking her to sleep. BLEEEECK! Round 2. Repeat, sometimes getting me again, sometimes managing to divert into a towel. I’m not sure which will run out first, her inventory of PJs or my sanity.

5am – Alaina’s sleeping, sans puking, now that I’ve strapped her into her car seat and placed it next to our bed.

5:30am – After being satisfied that the tide is turning in my favor, I begin assembling a large pile puke infused clothing into the laundry room.

Now – With said bio-hazmat being laundered, and baby still asleep, I’m going to lay down. Looks like I’m not going to work after all.

The other side of the AIG fiasco.  Jake DeSantis resigns and tells us why the treatment of AIG employees isso very wrong.

Can Kenny Rogers combat the effects of stokes?

DIY Biotechnology?

HA! Chick flicks really are bad for you!

Since we’re now living in a “post-racial” society, I thought this quote
was appropriate:

No greater injury can be done to any youth than to let him feel that
because he belongs to this or that race he will be advanced in life
regardless of his own merits or efforts.

Name the individual.

Want to provide some real middle-class tax relief?

Halve the taxes levied on beer, say a bipartisan group of lawmakers, along with one of the beer industry’s lobbying groups.  “50 percent of the beer is consumed in households making less than  $50,000 per year,” said Jeff Becker, president of The Beer Institute, the industry’s lobbying arm. “Given campaign rhetoric, you can tell they’re trying to benefit low-income earners, who make up a lot of our consumers.”

11 bipartisan lawmakers have signed onto the bill. My only surprise is
- why only one WI rep?

Give corporate jets a chance.

A short history of the bagel.

H/T Reason.com and Mentalfloss