Fulltime freelance provider of outreach and enhancement in maths ... I talk a lot. About maths.
Public Key
npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Profile Code
nprofile1qqs9e5j9tyz29f7jxpjprpl80w7n3nneq6cs3m4k738zxk8jlvnwldcpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0ds9c4qzl
Show more details
Published at
2026-08-17T10:25:37Z Event JSON
{
"id": "a094bba7b5dc00fe5dd22c391eb8a8822e6021ab033a82ccb81c8cc8416b2085" ,
"pubkey": "5cd2455904a2a7d230641187e77bbd38ce7906b108eeb6f44e2358f2fb26efb7" ,
"created_at": 1786962337 ,
"kind": 0 ,
"tags": [
[
"proxy",
"https://mathstodon.xyz/users/ColinTheMathmo",
"activitypub"
],
[
"client",
"Mostr",
"31990:6be38f8c63df7dbf84db7ec4a6e6fbbd8d19dca3b980efad18585c46f04b26f9:mostr",
"wss://relay.ditto.pub"
]
],
"content": "{\"name\":\"Colin the Mathmo\",\"about\":\"Fulltime freelance provider of outreach and enhancement in maths ... I talk a lot. About maths.\\n\\nI talk about other stuff too, like ballroom dancing, juggling, unicycling, education, engineering, software, and \\\"other things\\\".\\n\\nBut mostly about maths.\\n\\nI tend to follow back, but only if you have something in your profile.\",\"picture\":\"https://media.mathstodon.xyz/accounts/avatars/000/000/013/original/d3bb832f7c670bec.png\",\"nip05\":\"[email protected] \",\"fields\":[[\"Web site\",\"https://www.solipsys.co.uk\"],[\"Pronouns\",\"He/Him\"]]}" ,
"sig": "ff844d9fa776c1cf1c98eb8409a0c864497f83fe17a9ceef55478f44a9c9a87e15ac5997961d48527cae276ac7d3dd9fac6302150c1faf9c1938e07d751745e4"
}
Last Notes npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo "Everything is a conspiracy theory when you don't understand how anything works" -- Bumper sticker npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo "A time is coming when people will go mad, and when they see someone who is *not* mad, they will attack them, saying, 'You are mad; you are not like us.'" -- Anthony the great (adapted for language, emphasis added) npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo Can people for me: npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo "We should always tell the press freely and frankly anything that they could easily find out some other way" -- Sir Humphrey Appleby, Cancelling Trident, 'Yes, Prime Minister' npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo This is a hill I'm not willing to die on, but it is something I wonder about. npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo A semi-personal note ... this is not an official announcement. npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo I have been searching diligently, but have been unable to find a map showing which exit to use from Vauxhall underground station to get to the bus station. npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo So ... npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo "A mathematician is a device for turning coffee into theorems." -- Renyi (although often (incorrectly) attributed to Erdos) npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo "Sainsbury's branch halts AI use as shopper ejected" npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo "Think about how stupid the average(*) person is, and then realize that half of 'em are stupider than that." -- George Carlin (*technically median, not average) npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo Peter Cushing’s Toy Soldiers – No Rerolls: npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo So ... guess where I am again ... npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo So ... npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo "The fact that there's a Highway to Hell and only a Stairway to Heaven says a lot about anticipated traffic numbers." -- Darynda Jones, The Curse of Tenth Grave. npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo @nprofile…j9f5 I'm not really sure what you're trying to say, and I'm not sure you understand what I'm trying to say. I certainly don't understand what point you are trying to make with your analogy about ranchers and beef cows. npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo @nprofile…j9f5 I think the mechanism is that almost all account-acquisition systems are unethical. npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo This came up in conversation, but I'm sure the idea has been expressed elsewhere so it's probably credited to someone else. npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo @nprofile…r9vg The original train did in fact happen ... I checked later. npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo Supersonic Trebuchet : npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo For those who like the trains, and who are of a detail-oriented nature. npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo TIL: npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo "What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure." -- Samuel Johnson npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo Against the odds, we may have a game ... npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo "I'm just sayin', everyone that confuses correlation with causation eventually ends up dead" -- Seen in multiple places on t'interwebs npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo OK, random #NumberTheory question. npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo Your fingers have fingertips but your toes don't have toetips. Yet, you can tiptoe but not tipfinger. npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo This graph should be front page news. npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo I wrote this 15 years ago ... it's an adaptation of Cantor's proof that transcendentals exist, adapted to show that irrationals exist. npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo One thing no one ever talks about being an adult is how much time you debate yourself on keeping a cardboard box because it's, like, a really good box. npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo Happy Aphelion everyone !!! npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo Some passes of the #ISS visible from the UK overnight - I'll post alerts closer to the time - #UK_ISS npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo I don't usually do this, but I found this too funny not to share: npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo "... we should catch young people before they become CEOs, investment bankers, consultants, and money managers, and do our best to poison their minds with humanity." -- Kurt Vonnegut npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo Just back from measuring our latitude (which I do roughly four times a year) and, for the first time, our longitude. npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo "A man may do an immense deal of good, if he does not care who gets the credit for it." -- Father Strickland, a Jesuit Priest, as noted in the diary of Sir Mountstuart E. Grant Duff in 1863 npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo Here's a real challenge for die hard fans of older #SciFi ... npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo Oh dear ... npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo If you can't think of a word say 'I forgot the English word for it.' Then people will think you're bilingual instead of an idiot. npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo @nprofile…dt95 So ... what were they? What names did they bring out? npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo Do you know a young person? npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo TIL: npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo "'Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in the world, but has not solved one yet.'" -- Maya Angelou npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo @nprofile…97wq Estás bem? npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo @nprofile…97wq Bom dia! npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo Happy Towel Day !! npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo "In every partnership, there is a person who stacks the dishwasher like a Scandinavian architect and a person who stacks the dishwasher like a racoon on meth." -- @ColeyTangerina npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo @nprofile…j9f5 Oooh ... can you point me at your comment(s) ?? npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo "Email is a wonderful thing for people whose role in life is to be on top of things. But not for me; my role is to be on the bottom of things. What I do takes long hours of studying and uninterruptible concentration." -- Donald Knuth npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo @nprofile…j9f5 What is their incentive? They're in a hurry, they chuck it in the right direction, then leave. npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo Cute problem: npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo @nprofile…t95h Not the original poster, but to get you started: npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo I've realised (OK, again) today just how much of an unsympathetic bastard I can be. Students are, again, complaining that an exam question was "unfair" ... because: npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo "It's easier to calm someone down that is wild. Because you won't be able to accelerate a donkey." -- Toto Wolff npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo "You are a ghost driving a meat-coated skeleton made from stardust, riding a rock, hurtling through space. Fear nothing." -- Unknown. npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo "Power corrupts. Powerpoint corrupts absolutely." -- Edward R. Tufte npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo @nprofile…65q8 Two things: npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo It was a lovely water bottle, really useful. Then I wanted to wash it properly, and I rinsed it with boiling water. npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo "Baby Trebuchet" ... npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo I don't understand why people are still so content to put so much data in the hands of Google. npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo "If you're thinking without writing, you only think you're thinking." -- Leslie Lamport npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo What would they do if the weather at the splashdown site was *not* "go"? npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo Separate from, but related to, my previous question ... npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo "Optimist: the glass is 1/2 full; ... Pessimist: the glass is 1/2 empty; ... Excel: the glass is January 2nd." -- Anon npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo Distance from Orion to the Earth is decreasing ... npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo @nprofile…vjcg Pretty sure they don't/didn't have (Earth) escape velocity. So without the Moon they'd go somewhat further beyond the Moon's orbit, then drop back. npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo @nprofile…65q8 (G)AWK is definitely worth the time. Simple use is almost trivial and suddenly there are things that were awkward that are now ready one-liners. npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo Random question for my mathsy peeps: npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo One hour to go: npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo @nprofile…65q8 Mine had a saddle at the time! npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo @nprofile…65q8 Argh !! npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo @nprofile…65q8 I didn't realise that you are also a five ball juggler! npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo @nprofile…pfuj Just ... npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo Seeing someone reading a book I like, it's almost like the book is recommending the person. npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo We(*) are finding it tricky to find an appropriate instance of #PeerTube for me to start posting short maths-based videos. npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo Why would *anyone* choose to cross a border into or out of the USA at the moment? npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo I'm seeing news that Tony Hoare may have died. npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo "The secret to your success is found in your daily routine." -- John C. Maxwell npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo @nprofile…j9f5 I believe you know Nancy Blackman ... npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo @nprofile…j9f5 I know some people in the Bay area ... would you like me to point them at this post? npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo Mastodon, please save me ... npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo "Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young." -- Henry Ford npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo Your job ... should you choose to accept it, it to determine from this output from "xload" when it was that I participated in a Zoom call. npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo People have been telling me that while ChatGPT and other "AI"s can't reason, they can at least be great search engines. They have (illegally) slurped all of the internet, and can find things that you otherwise wouldn't be able to find. npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo This cute question came up in this morning's coffee morning chat: npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo "The limits of my language are the limits of my world" -- Ludwig Wittgenstein npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo @nprofile…j9f5 When I had a LinkedIn account I registered with a bespoke email address. npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo Inside some of us is a thin person struggling to get out, but they can usually be sedated with a few pieces of chocolate. npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo @nprofile…tfwq ... and the last pass of this tranche. Completely overcast here, so that's that for a couple of weeks. It returns for a series of early morning passes, starting Feb 12th, but probably not high enough for you until Feb 15th ... definitely Feb 17th. npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo In about half an hour, #UK_ISS #ISS pass, starting at 17:54:56, duration 120 secs, visible, Magnitude -0.4 npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo Apparently in Italian there is a word for: npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo @nprofile…a3ey I've been in a much lower stakes but analogous situation where the data made a thing completely obvious, *completely* obvious, but none of the "higher-ups" had a clue, and they were blithely carrying on. npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo @nprofile…a3ey Certainly no need for the demonstration to convince anyone of a technical mindset. But to convince the managers and force a change in culture(*) required something to make the uneducated public gasp and remember. npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo @nprofile…vkw7 I do this all the time, but usually send the an email from that address with an explanation that I have set up filtering to make sure I never miss anything from them, giving them priority over my other incoming emails. npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo @nprofile…tfwq It's a real problem. They really, really need to address the issues you raise, GDPR compliance being one of them. npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo "It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that they are difficult." -- Lucius Annaeus Seneca npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo "To me programming is more than an important practical art. It is also a gigantic undertaking in the foundations of knowledge." -- Admiral Grace Hopper npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo "Anyone who believes in conspiracy theories has clearly never tried to organise a meal for four or more people." -- Source? npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo ... In which @nprofile…25pu lays down a challenge ... npub1tnfy2kgy52nayvryzxr7w7aa8r88jp43prhtdazwydv097exa7ms8j5nzk Colin the Mathmo PSA: we are now over 4% through 2026 ...
