"Real-world" Covid Stats

The ongoing problems of 'real-world' stats and Covid math: 

https://junkcharts.typepad.com/numbersruleyourworld/2021/07/funny-math-out-of-la.html

Another Logic Test

 From Presh Talwalkar another logic conundrum to end the week:

https://mindyourdecisions.com/blog/2021/07/27/balls-in-sack-logic-test/

Ahhh, No Ties...

 'Rock, paper, scissors' fans, a puzzle from Futility Closet:

https://www.futilitycloset.com/2021/07/28/implementia/

Midweek ASMR

 Time to slip in another ASMR video. "Angelo" has probably become my favorite within the shoeshine genre, so yet another from him:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTQ8M9FLRoc

Chess Thoughts....

 A lot of folks interested in mathematics are also interested in chess, so without further adieu, a post with some interesting chess thoughts:

https://statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2021/07/25/some-open-questions-in-chess/

Waxing Eloquent on Weinberg...

 There have been, and will be, many tributes to Steven Weinberg this week; I highly recommend this very personal one from Scott Aaronson:

https://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/?p=5566

Of Lines, Curves, and Points....

 Patrick Honner looking at lines and curves, and making a few rational (and irrational) points along the way:

https://www.quantamagazine.org/how-simple-math-reveals-rational-points-on-curves-20210722/

New Newsletter From Michael Harris

 Mathematician Michael Harris, author of "Mathematics Without Apologies," announces a new newsletter to concern itself with AI and the mechanization of mathematics:

https://mathematicswithoutapologies.wordpress.com/2021/07/21/announcing-a-new-newsletter-on-mechanizing-mathematics/

Models and Monte Carlo

 This weekend you can either breeze your way through Tolstoy's "War and Peace" or slowly work your way through the latest from Brian Hayes ;))

http://bit-player.org/2021/three-months-in-monte-carlo

Emmy Noether Remembered

 Emmy Noether and rings make it into "The Conversation":

https://theconversation.com/emmy-noether-faced-sexism-and-nazism-100-years-later-her-contributions-to-ring-theory-still-influence-modern-math-163245

Interesting Math....

 Starting with this equality (from a Cliff Pickover tweet):

           

Futility Closet points out this further elaboration:

http://www.mathistopheles.co.uk/2015/04/16/699/

Bitcoin, Efficient Markets.... and Benford's Law

 From Gary Smith, Benford, bitcoin, and bogus prices:

https://mindmatters.ai/2021/07/using-benfords-law-to-detect-bitcoin-manipulation/

ADDENDUM (7/15):  Andrew Gelman weighs in a bit on Smith's piece here:

https://statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2021/07/15/using-benfords-law-to-detect-bitcoin-manipulation/

Stephen Wolfram with Sean Carroll

 Haven't had a chance to view it myself yet, but Sean Carroll's latest guest on his Mindscape podcast is Stephen Wolfram, so ought be interesting (over to 2.5 hrs.):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bMYtEKjHs0

Monday Brainteasers

A few Alex Bellos puzzles (actually from philosopher Joel David Hamkins) to jumpstart your week:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/jul/12/can-you-solve-it-oxford-university-admissions-questions

Carnival!

 ICYMI, here was July's very varied Carnival of Math (the 195th such compendium), full of interesting reads for your weekend:

http://stormbear.com/carnival-of-mathematics-195-july-2021/

Language Is Algebraic, From Syntax to Semantics...

 From Tai-Danae Bradley a primer on ‘language, statistics, and category theory’ (parts 1 & 2):

https://www.math3ma.com/blog/language-statistics-category-theory-part-1

https://www.math3ma.com/blog/language-statistics-category-theory-part-2

Mathy News From the Month of June

 June math news as collected by The Aperiodical:

https://aperiodical.com/2021/07/aperiodical-news-roundup-june-2021/

Rational and Irrational Answers (on a State Exam)

Patrick Honner critiques a question/answer on the NY State Regents Exam:

https://mrhonner.com/archives/21115

Science Musings Fit For a Sunday Sermon

 Joselle (...and David Deutsch), at "Mathematics Rising," waxes eloquently about knowledge, mathematics, and the universe... nice read/contemplation for a Sunday morning:

https://mathrising.com/?p=1800

Vitally Linked, Music and Math

 Have always found the linkage between math and music interesting, especially since encountering so many individuals over time who were music majors with math minors, or, vice-versa. Anyway, noticed newish book during trip to bookstore this morning that looked interesting (but haven't read, so just supposing), "Music, Math, and Mind: the physics and neuroscience of music" by David Sulzer:

http://cup.columbia.edu/book/music-math-and-mind/9780231193795

https://tinyurl.com/yz2zxcuc

Hahh!

 A little end-of-week humor... I don't see a lot of new math humor these days that really makes me chuckle any more, but this bumper sticker recently seen on Twitter (H/T Simon Pampena) did (...though perhaps it's quite old and I've just missed it or forgotten it):

Mind-twister

 I've talked of self-describing sentences or "autograms" here before (I love 'em, and their Gödelian flavor!), and recently Futility Closet posted this fine example (with Lee Sallows involved as he often is):

https://www.futilitycloset.com/2021/07/01/inventory-9/