Jordan Ellenberg via Quanta

 From Quanta Magazine this timely portrait/interview with Jordan Ellenberg:

https://www.quantamagazine.org/jordan-ellenberg-connects-math-to-creativity-20210527/

Must Human Civilization Have Numbers...

 Lengthy, interesting, thought-provoking new piece from Stephen Wolfram asking 'if numbers are inevitable?' (and concluding that at least for now, for humans, they are):

https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/2021/05/how-inevitable-is-the-concept-of-numbers/

Philosophers At (Word)Play...

 From Futility Closet today, the paradox of a paradoxical paradox (if you catch my drift):

https://www.futilitycloset.com/2021/05/26/the-paradox-of-the-question/

Veritasium Tackles Gödel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeQX2HjkcNo

Catriona Agg via Aperiodical

 A podcast from Aperiodical with Catriona Agg, geometry-puzzler-extraoridnaire:

https://aperiodical.com/2021/05/mathematical-objects-arbelos/

New Volume From Sunil Singh

 A new (and final) book from Sunil Singh, "Chasing Rabbits":

https://sunilsingh-42118.medium.com/lost-in-a-forest-finding-our-mathematical-soul-in-the-effervescence-of-confusion-and-curiosity-9f55b3108d60

Fightin' Words (perhaps) From Blasphemer Ben Orlin

 Blasphemies about mathematical proof versus explanations, courtesy of Ben Orlin:

https://mathwithbaddrawings.com/2021/05/12/against-mathematical-proof/

Emily Riehl With Sean Carroll

 Sean Carroll with Emily Riehl in his latest Mindscape podcast, on topology and category theory (~75 mins.):

ASMR Saturday

 Will head into weekend with another Angelo shoeshine ASMR video:

                        

Gelman Bemoaning Postmodernism

 For today's entertainment, Andrew Gelman rants about postmodernism, Elon Musk, and spending gov't. money:

https://statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2021/05/06/postmodernism-for-zillionaires/

“Postmodernism” in academia is the approach of saying nonsense using a bunch of technical-sounding jargon. At least, I think that’s what postmodernism is . . ."  -- A. Gelman

 

"Progress" In Mathematics...

 The always interesting, if not indeed provocative, Michael Harris muses critically (in the first of what he says will be “a series of texts”) on “progress” and “the mechanization of mathematics” (he even manages to get Godwin’s Law in):

https://mathematicswithoutapologies.wordpress.com/2021/05/05/does-mathematics-progress/

"...the notion of 'progress' in its current usage is so thoroughly entwined with technological determinism, European colonialism, genocide, and environmental devastation, that it is a struggle to find an interpretation of the word, applicable to mathematics, whose connotations are unequivocally positive."

                                                                        -- Michael Harris

Of Math and Twitter

 I almost find it hard to imagine that there's anyone engaged in math who isn't by now on Twitter, but if in fact you are one such person and debating over taking the plunge, then Ben Orlin has written a post just for you:

https://mathwithbaddrawings.com/2021/05/04/advice-to-math-teachers-joining-twitter/

(...seriously, the incredible array of math resources, people, and inspiration accessible through Twitter ought not be missed... though, granted, venture into other corners of Twitter at your own peril ;))

A New Carnival

 The 193rd Carnival of Mathematics is here:

https://blog.mathoffthegrid.com/2021/05/carnival-of-mathematics-193.html

4 People, 4 Names, 4 Professions, and a Table

 To start your week off another li'l brain-twister from Futility Closet:

https://www.futilitycloset.com/2021/05/01/seating-trouble/

Recommending a Podcast Sight Unseen... or Heard

 I haven't even had time to listen to this yet (sometime this weekend though), but Ben Orlin recommends it (ohh, and he happens to be on it), and that's good enough for me:

https://infinitelyirrational.podbean.com/e/the-strange-case-of-sir-newton-and-mr-leibniz/

The "Super Bowl" for Entomologists

    

Those prime-number cicadas are on their way!:

https://www.npr.org/2021/04/27/991168811/here-come-the-cicadas

The Shared Beauty of Math and Music

 Another post, like the previous one, linking mathematics and art (in this instance music), this time courtesy of the Simons Foundation:

https://www.simonsfoundation.org/2021/04/27/finding-beauty-at-the-piano-and-elegance-in-mathematics/

Math, Chalk, and Art

 Quirky little piece from Scientific American on mathematics and chalkboards (as art):

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-art-of-mathematics-in-chalk/

"Even when it is inscrutable, math is beautiful....

As Wynne began to travel to different universities to meet more mathematicians, she discovered how diverse their chalkboard styles are. 'Some were very clean and neat and very carefully considered,' she recalls. 'And some were just this explosion and chaos. The chalkboards almost felt like portraits of the person and depended on the personality of the mathematician'.”

 

There Are Proofs, and, Then There Are Proofs...

 This is above my pay grade ;) but some of you may likely find this Gil Kalai piece stimulating:

https://gilkalai.wordpress.com/2021/04/22/the-probabilistic-proof-that-2400-593-is-a-prime-a-revolutionary-new-type-of-mathematical-proof-or-not-a-proof-at-all/

ACM Prize In Computing

 Deservedly, Scott Aaronson wins a prize... and, asks for charitable suggestions:

https://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/?p=5448