Less than a month away...

It is hard to believe that I am just a little over 3 weeks from heading to Africa.  The anticipation (and nerves) are building.

Recent events:  Our golf tournament fundraiser fell through due to lack of sign ups.  I tried to sell that more than I have ever tried to sell anything to no avail.  I always stunk at selling fundraiser candy bars.  I suppose that is why I am in design engineering and not sales.  This will not put a damper on my trip, though.

I have an idea for an "out of the classroom" activity to show an application for similar triangles.  I hope the weather cooperates enough for us to go outside and measure some shadows one day.

I have continued to embrace the metric system.  I even have my garmin in my car set as metric.  My wife thinks I'm crazy.  The other day, she commented "That seems farther than 500 ft".  I replied "That is because it is 500 meters."

I am very happy with how the Sierra Leone flag ended up looking on my ankle.  As I feared, my skin pigment pretty much ate all the white color in the center stripe, but I am still pleased with how it turned out.

I am going to endeavor to update the blog more often. 

God bless.

I am really getting into this metric thing.

First off, I have found out that my group is teaching geometry. This is good. I really love geometry and all the practical applications in measuring and sketching. I hope the weather permits getting out of the classroom.

So anyway, the plan is to get some meter sticks, metric tape measures and graph paper and do some angle calculations and similar triangles. I love that stuff. Proportions...cross multiplications...fractions...it all ties together.

I have gotten a very nice hickory meter stick and I am seriously immersing myself in the metric system. My GPS now gives me info in kilometers. They told me in the '70s that we were going metric. I'm calling their bluff.

Math geeks of the world, take note...

Today is 6/3/9. Not as mathematically interesting as 3/6/9, but I wasn't blogging then, so sue me.







Really, please don't.

Ahhh, sweet symmetry

As I alluded to in an earlier post, I have felt some uncertainty how my various tattoos are going to be received. So, given that uncertainty, which strategy would you choose?

A) Wear long pants while teaching and avoid the subject.
B) Ignore the issue unless pressed to discuss it.
C) Get the national flag of Sierra Leone tattooed on your left ankle.

If you chose C, you and I have a lot in common.

All sorts of math goodness has come out of the experience. First and foremost, I am now symmetrical with my tattoos. I feel better already.

Of no less import, while measuring the dive flag so I could come up with the size, I saw this blurb online.

Legal Description

The flag was last confirmed by Chapter One, Article 3(1) of the Constitution (Act No. 6 of 1991) dated 1 October 1991 as follows:
3. (1)
a. The Flag of which the design is described in paragraph (b) hereof is hereby declared to be the National Flag of Sierra Leone.
b. The design of the Flag shall be from the top of the Flag to the bottom thereof, three horizontal stripes of green, white and blue.
c. The normal size of the Flag for official use shall be in the proportion of nine units across to six units down.

Christopher Southworth, 25 April 2009

I thought to myself that the numbers were sure easier if I used 3cm by 4.5 cm and I am now drawing the line in the sand that I am going metric. I can't do it at work, they pay me to do stuff in English units, but for all my personal stuff, I am going metric. I am in the market for a good meter stick right about now. (Side note: my friend just called me insane)

As it turns out, the three stripes of the flag in this proportion are exactly (or pretty danged close anyway) to one cm. It is so handy to have this point of reference tattooed on my ankle. Also, it has been well established that three is the magic number.