Author: Cassandra

Ranting About Compasses

No, I have nothing against navigational compasses. They’re just fine. What I do have an issue with are geometric compasses. That’s right, the ones that you use to make the circles but sticking the point in the paper and swing the pencil part around that point. But what have I got against them?

To be clear, I have no issue with their use to draw circles. That makes sense. Actually, it’s the only way I know of to draw a decent circle (eyeballing it doesn’t end well for me). It’s the other geometric stuff it’s used for that irks me.

We’ve been told that, back in the day, mathematicians used only a compass and a straightedge to draw their shapes. That’s all well and good, but why do we still have to draw squares, hexagons and triangles from this object that only draws circles? It takes several, complicated steps and is quite frankly obsolete in the face of these things called rulers and protractors that allow us to actually measure our angles and lines in a timely fashion.

“Well, that’s just how they used to do it back in the day.” This I understand, and I’m fine with being taught how they did their math. I just don’t want to be expected to do it that way when there are other, more efficient methods. I am, as well as a writer, an inventor, and our goal is frequently to reach the intended goal with as little work as possible.

What do you think? Is there some benefit to the compass method that I’ve overlooked? Or do you concur with my frustration?

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Rhett And Link

Who? Rhett and Link are YouTubers. They’re best known for the daily talk show, Good Mythical Morning, where they either learn about, or, more often, try different things, mostly food. They frequently try foods blindfolded or just without being told what they’re eating and then have to guess what it is. Some examples are Whole Foods vs. 99 Cent Store, Blind Fast Food Sub Sandwich Taste Test, The Blind Chicken Nugget Taste Test, and, one of my favorites, The Ultimate Water Taste Test.

They do “International” taste tests (International BBQ Taste Test here) where they taste something from one of the countries highlighted on their map, and then not only have to guess where it’s from, but throw a dart at that place on the map. The darts are scored on how close they are to the correct answer, and the player with the lowest score wins (like golf).

Other times, they’re testing assorted “Hacks” (Crazy Airplane Cocktail Hacks). Sometimes they have guests on the show, such as Feel & Squeal Challenge ft. Hank Green, The What If? Game ft. Daniel Radcliffe, Duo or Don’t-O ft. SMOSH, and Christmas Song Challenge ft. Jack Black.

Not only do they have a talk show, they also do skits and music videos! Some skits are The Puzzle, BFF’s, and Campin’. Their music videos include My OCD, the Graduation Song, BFF (not to be confused with the skit BFF‘s), Tough Decisions (A Whale Is Gonna Die), and Just Being Honest, just to name a few. They’ve also started a thing called SongBiscuits where they write a song with a fellow musician and then perform it. One of my favorites of these is the Cat’s 9 Lives Song. You can find the video where they write and perform it here and the animated song here.

As great as their talk show is, I prefer their music, mostly for timing, since their show is usually somewhere between 10 and 20 minutes, whereas their songs seem to cap at 5. But whichever you’re watching, they’re still light-hearted and silly.

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GeekCraft Expo

This weekend, we drove to a GeekCraft Expo in Madison. It was smaller than I expected, but it made up for it with cool stuff and friendly people. GeekCraft Expo

The cafeteria in the building had a sign plastered over the door that said “Mos Eisley Cantina,” which added to the geek vibe, but, unfortunately, the menu had not been geeked. There were no Star Wars foods, just burgers and brats.

The actual Expo was in a small room, with only a few rows of booths. There were geeky words, geeky images and a general air of geekiness. I saw booths with embroidered references, punny cards, and create-your-own superhero masks. There was a coloring book with assorted organs, handmade dice sets, and interesting soaps. For the full list of venders, go here.

Probably my favorite booth was one with crossover drawings. There was a Princess Leia water-bending, Sokka dressed as Han Solo, Zuko as a Sith, and Kaylee knocking on the door of the TARDIS (which I couldn’t find a link for, sorry!).

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