NASA's currently working on developing a Coordinated Lunar Time standard. There'll need to be built-in adjustments as 24 hours on the Moon's surface pass about 60 millionths of a second faster than 24 hours on Earth due to time dilation effects caused by the Earth/Moon mass difference. 🤯

After discussions at open mic last night, I've been persuaded to put my one attempt at recording an album (back in 2002, on a steam-powered black-and-white four-track) on Bandcamp: https://kensson.bandcamp.com/album/a-bright-cold-day-in-april-2 I guess I'm getting the band* back together. * solo

Our classic Who journey sees us following the 2nd Doctor through The War Games. A great story with twists, turns & surprises, smooth exposition, & relatively diverse casting for the time. One of many enjoyments to be had watching early Who is spotting actors you already know from elsewhere […]

I wish I wasn't so tired and busy, otherwise I'd be mainlining Artemis II. As it stands, I'm loving the bits I'm managing to catch. Back to the Moon, for the first time in my life. It's AMAZING.

"I'm looking for Sarah Connor."

I love this photo. Earth looks so furtive. "I'm so sorry, I hope I'm not intruding..." (Credit: NASA, obviously)

This kind of misleading imagery on political campaign leaflets is not new, but here we have someone involved in creating one stating unequivocally that it's a deliberate misrepresentation of the statistics, rather than a well-meaning error. Of course, it's not just Reform doing this - it just […]

They're off! The first Moon mission in more than 50 years; the last one was a decade before I was born. #artemis2

March's reading! Only one book completed this month: Colditz, by Ben MacIntyre (https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16778/9780241986974). It's as brilliant as expected: MacIntyre always makes historical non-fiction feel like a gripping drama. That's one book finished […] [Original post on mathstodon.xyz]

This is the best thing I've seen in the whole of today: https://youtu.be/tqIki33mTgs (Shared by someone via a chat group I'm in) #mathstoday

BRB: panic-buying Kit-Kats. I reckon it was Banksy.

I don't know what I'm doing. But I also don't know what I'm *not* doing, so I guess it balances out.

I think Ryan Gosling wearing a cardigan in a movie has probably caused an increase in cardigan sales. Here's hoping that in his next movie he's wearing nothing but a book about the history of maths.

RE: https://mathstodon.xyz/@TeaKayB/116312871537589429 It's worth noting that I've had the cardigan and glasses (and been a teacher) since long before Project Hail Mary started production, so technically *Gosling* is cosplaying *me*.

Because social media keeps telling me it's all about the cardigan and the glasses and nothing to do with being muscular, 6 feet tall and swooningly pretty... Similarly non-muscular, shorter, yet bespectacled and becardiganed men assemble! #ProjectHailMary

Just finished _Colditz_ by Ben MacIntyre: a fascinating history of an aspect of World War II that most people have heard whilst few know much detail. Another page-turner from a master of historical non-fiction. https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16778/9780241986974

RE: https://mathstodon.xyz/@TeaKayB/116308929988731961 And, apparently, the episode to be released after this one is a conservation between Ben (the host of _The Mathematicians Podcast_ ) and that guy who wrote _The Mathematicians' Library _ !

Ooh, _The Mathematicians' Library_ gets a quick mention in this episode of _The Mathematicians Podcast_ ! https://mathematicians.podbean.com/e/episode-54-umaswati-mind-the-gap/

So if you Spoonerise "Hail Mary" you get a description of Ryan Gosling during the first part of the movie.

A dress rehearsal is a beformance.

Only the humpledangs can win against the turbleboos here! See these randomly generated rectangles we've placed behind some percentages! Both the rectangles and the numbers are arranged in size order, but are otherwise completely unrelated!

Today I've hit 100 on my @thestorygraph streak: that's a little bit of book reading every day for 100 days. This is a big milestone for me, having been an avid reader in my youth but slipping considerably in recent years. https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/teakayb

Early one morning, the sun was shining I had to take a look At my local cinema showing The Jungle Book I've always loved the characters, always loved the story Loved the animation in its Technicolor glory My favourite's Kaa the python, 'cause Mr Kipling makes <extended raise of the eyebrow> […]

Last week I was recorded in top secret for an episode of an as yet unrevealed podcast, to be released at an as yet undetermined point in the future. In other news, The Mathematicians Podcast is great! https://mathematicians.podbean.com/ #mathstoday

The Mathematicians’ Library shortlisted for Book of the Year The folks at Chalkdust (a magazine for the mathematically curious) have released their shortlist for 2025's book of the year, and The Mathematicians' Library is on it! The introductory post for the Chalkdust Magazine Book of the Year […]

I've got the front seat, up top, on my way to MathsWorld!

I'm a "co-opted" governor for one organisation, and an "ordinary" council member for another. The first term makes it sound like I was inducted with a bag over my head, and the second has a 'doth protest too much' vibe about it. I love these weird little terms that spring up in strangely […]

Inspired by being asked to contribute to a panel discussion at last night's BletchleyAI UserGroup event, I started to collate a list of books written by or about women who worked at Bletchley Park during World War II. It's here […]

Funeral tomorrow. Another man in my family who didn't see a doctor when they should have. If you've got a little niggle somewhere, do me a favour and contact your GP when the form opens up tomorrow morning. I did a couple of days ago, and all's fine: it's nothing. But I'm not worrying now.

60% of people who bothered to respond picked nature themes over 38% who picked famous people. Yet a whole bunch of folk who only a few years ago treated 52% vs. 48% as something of a landslide, routinely summed up as "you lost, get over it", are getting all whiny.

Project Hail Mary was great, by the way.

Not a massive fan of Starmer, but if we had any of the Conservative party leaders from the last decade as PM at the moment (or Farage, of course), we'd be at war right now, so I'm considering that a win.

"[...] questioning the patterns we see around us is as fundamental an aspect of human nature as creating art, music, literature. It’s part of who we are as a species." That's squirreled away in a review for one of Chalkdust Magazine's shortlisted Books of the Year 2025*, and I think it deserves […]

Really excited to find out which of the many subscription services I don't pay for will be home to the new Firefly animated series. Always exciting to find out about new shows seemingly aimed directly at me that I can't watch.

If you'll indulge me, a little mental arithmetic I did while running with the dog and listening to A Problem Squared. The Skittles-related question boiled down to figuring out \\( nCr(126, 4) \\). I reckoned that would be about \\( 125^4 \frac 25 \\), since \\( 4! = 25 \\) for large values of ! […]

On hearing that Richard Osman was stepping down from hosting House of Games I couldn't think of anyone who'd be any more than a mild disappointment when they were announced as a replacement. But they've only been and gone and done it. Holy moly.

I'm working my way through the fantastic though sadly concluded _Futility Closet_ podcast's back-catalogue. Coincidentally I've just reached "Legislating Pi" which covers Indiana's 1897 'Pi bill'; a fascinating clash of mathematics with legislation. Happy #piday! […]

It's just come to my attention that _The Mathematicians' Library_ is shortlisted for @chalkdustmag.bsky.social's Book of the Year 2025. It's got quite some company! Merely being on that list is a privilege, and I'll take it, thanks. (Cast your vote here […]

I feel like I should post more thirst-traps, and what could be more of a thirst-trap than a thing designed to hold some sort of liquid? I've been working on some learning & education stuff for @the_morw. The history of porcelain manufacture is not my […] [Original post on mathstodon.xyz]

I understand the latest @standupmaths video mentions some really cool people (and me)! https://youtu.be/IY0pf0-Daew?si=78uPFx42yGWu1Sfv

It's just come to my attention that _The Mathematicians' Library_ is shortlisted for @chalkdustmag.bsky.social's Book of the Year 2025. It's got quite some company! Merely being on that list is a privilege, and I'll take it, thanks. (Cast your vote here […]

This #worldbookday, here's the author of The Mathematicians' Library in a library with some maths books. https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16778/9781836004851

@TeaKayB The Theorem That Would Not Die by Sharon Bertsch McGrayne. Genius at play by Siobhan Roberts. The Indisputable Existence of Santa Claus by Hannah Fry and Thomas Oleron Evans.

International Womens Day is this Sunday, so I thought I'd compile a list of books by and about Women in Mathematics. The most important question I have for you is: What's missing? https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-by-and-about-women-in-mathematics

I've been reading PaulinaRowinska's Mapmatics for ages, because I've been reading it in parallel with other non-fiction books, which is a terrible habit of mine. Having concentrated on finishing the Conway book last month, this is next in line. So far it's a fas...

I've read The War of the Worlds before, but I got this lovely clothbound version for Christmas and it's the next fiction book that I'm starting. I don't read many physical works of fiction these days, so it's nice to do so with a version that feels particularly in... www.instagram.com/p/DVWc8LNDG2l/

February's reading: not a lot, but consistent daily reading. The blip on the third is an anomaly caused by logging an individual version of the Zelazny book after reading the story as part of a compendium that I didn't want to continue with immediately. www.instagram.com/p/DVWJshFjAGB/

Milton Keynes shopping centre being locked up today feels so weird. I've never experienced it locked before: even when the shops are closed it's usually open for walking through, or even sitting in. There are often people late at night, making use of the free table tennis tables. It's eerie, and […]

Just my occasional casting of a line into the murky waters of social media to see if I can catch some new connections in * Milton Keynes * ... It'd be good to get to know a few more people with similar interests & mindsets locally! #MiltonKeynes #mk

I forgot my earphones when I went out yesterday and got a reminder of why I wear my earphones when I go out. Walking around in public with all that noise just allowed to hit your eardrums is so anxiety-inducing!