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jrosenhouse | January 26, 2014Having devoted the last three problems to exploring the exotic world of selfmates, I think it's time for a return to the real world. So let us now consider a genre that has not yet been featured in this series: The two-move direct-mate.
In the position below, it is white to move and mate in two:
This problem, composed by Lev Loshinsky in 1930, illustrates one of my favorite themes: the Grimshaw. A Grimshaw occurs when two pieces of the same color interfere with each other on the same square, in two different variations. The theme's name comes from Walter Grimshaw, a British chess…
gregladen | January 26, 2014Bill Gates has this thing called Gates Letter addressing three myths:
Poor Countries Are Doomed To Stay Poor
Foreign Aid Is A Big Waste
Saving Lives Leads To Overpopulation
That these are myths is discussed in detail HERE.
In a related project, Bill Nye has made this video dispelling an overlapping set of myths:
And here's Bill Gates' "Viral Video"
Important cause. Not sure if that video is going to go viral, though.
jrosenhouse | January 24, 2014In a lengthy comment to my post on probability and evolution, I pointed out that for scientists engaged in biological research, natural selection is not an abstract principle. It is not something that is invoked casually as a catch-all explanation for whatever complex biological system crosses their path. Rather, it is a tool that they use for generating testable hypotheses about the origin and history of whatever they are studying.
This point is highly significant, since anti-evolutionists tend to argue at a very abstract level. This is especially prominent in the work of William Dembski…
jrosenhouse | January 23, 2014Returning now to my radio debate with Sean Pitman, another issue that arose involved the use of probability theory in understanding evolution. Sean argued, indeed, it was really his only argument, that natural selection was incapable in principle of crafting complex adaptations. He chided me for not including in my book any probability calculations to show that natural selection can do what I say it can do. I replied that probability theory was simply the wrong tool for that particular job. Sean was aghast, suggesting, bizarrely, that this somehow rendered evolution unscientific.
In his…
jrosenhouse | January 22, 2014Writing in The New Statesman, Cristina Odone laments what she sees as liberal intolerance of religion. The article is quite long, but here's the opening:
I couldn't believe it. I was trying to discuss traditional marriage – and the state was trying to stop me.
Incredible, in a 21st-century European country, but true. I was invited to speak at a conference on marriage last summer, to be held at the Law Society in London. The government had just launched a public consultation on changing the law to allow same-sex marriage. The conference was a chance for supporters of traditional marriage to…
jrosenhouse | January 20, 2014One frustration I had in my radio debate with Sean Pitman was that the topic kept changing in such a rapid-fire way that it was not really possible to discuss anything properly. Happily, I have no such restrictions here at the blog! So let's devote a post or two to clarifying some of the issues that arose during the debate.
One of Pitman's talking points was the idea that natural selection is not capable in principle of crafting complex biochemical systems. Of course, this is standard fare for ID folks. Pitman made the claim that there is some level of functional complexity beyond which…
jrosenhouse | January 20, 2014The start of the spring semester brings with it a new round of Problem of the Week! This term's theme is “Knights, Knaves, Normals, Werewolves and Other Fanciful Creatures.” That's right! A whole term dedicated to the most endearing characters ever to populate fictional islands in logical brainteasers. The problems will get harder as we go along, but I always like to start with a few easy ones. So have a go at it, if you like.
jrosenhouse | January 19, 2014Out of respect for my recent travels, “Sunday Chess Problem” has the week off. However, my new friends at the Center for Inquiry in Long Island have now posted the video of my talk. And here it is:
Alas, the question and answer period is not included in the video, which is a pity, since it was actually very interesting. Also, the first minute of the talk seems to have been cut off, so you will have to imagine the humorous anecdote I told just prior to where the video starts.
Let me also thank everyone at CFI-LI for their wonderful hospitality and for inviting me in the first place. I…
jrosenhouse | January 17, 2014You always remember your first! I have now participated in my very first debate about evolution and creationism. Earlier today I was a guest on Harry Allen's radio show, where I discussed things with Sean Pitman, who maintains this pro-ID website. “Discussed” is a polite term for what transpired. The first segment was cordial enough. Things got more heated in the second segment, during which Sean and I were often talking over each other. Not so informative, perhaps, but probably good for ratings.
Let me know how I did! Click here for the audio. But don't tell me I say “y'know” too…
jrosenhouse | January 16, 2014I am on the road! Tomorrow I will be in New York, as I have previously discussed. Today I was in Baltimore to hang out at the big math party known as the Joint Mathematics Meetings. I also managed to write a guest post over at the Oxford University Press blog. Enjoy!
illconsidered | January 14, 2014
This extreme weather driving jet stream behaviour is fast becoming the new normal.
jrosenhouse | January 12, 2014Time to get back to the classroom! Our spring semester starts tomorrow. This term I'll be teaching Calculus I and History of Math. I have a relatively light teaching load this term, as my reward for accepting a relatively heavy teaching load last term.
Things are going to be a bit hectic for me this week. On Thursday I'll be in Baltimore to spend the day at the annual math extravaganza known as the Joint Mathematics Meetings. The conference is actually four days long, but, sadly, it was not practical for me this year to attend more than one day. But I'll take what I can get. I'm on my…
jrosenhouse | January 12, 2014Last week's problem, though undoubtedly clever and imaginative, was not really typical of modern selfmates. So, let us spend one more week with this genre, this time considering a real heavy-duty, barn-burner of a composition. It comes from Uri Avner, a prominent composer from Israel, and was composed in the early 1980s. The stipulation calls for selfmate in three. (Recall that in a selfmate problem, white moves first and forces black to give checkmate. Black, for his part, tries to avoid giving checkmate.)
Recall that the vertical files are labeled a--h from left to right, and the…
mspringer | January 11, 2014Probably not.
All right, now that you know my conclusion, let's see how to get there with data. First, some background.
Let me give very quick overview of Bitcoin in this context. (There are many comprehensive overviews elsewhere.) Bitcoin is an ongoing ledger of transactions of along the lines of "This guy had 5 Bitcoins, and he sent 2 of them to that guy. Now he has 3 Bitcoins." The transaction ledger is public, which prevents people from sending coins they already sent - the ledger rejects invalid transactions. Everyone on the network has a copy of the ledger. New transactions are appended…
gregladen | January 9, 2014Huh.
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Tattersall, I (2013). Higher taxa: Reply to cartmill Evolutionary Antropology, 22 (6), 293-293 DOI: 10.1002/evan.21393
jrosenhouse | January 8, 2014So, have you heard what's going on in New Jersey?
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) denied any involvement in a political payback scheme carried out by some of his top aides on Wednesday, saying the whole thing was “inappropriate and unsanctioned.”
“What I've seen today for the first time is unacceptable,” Christie said in a statement. “I am outraged and deeply saddened to learn that not only was I misled by a member of my staff, but this completely inappropriate and unsanctioned conduct was made without my knowledge.”
“One thing is clear: this type of behavior is unacceptable and I will…
aardvarchaeology | January 8, 2014Pär Svensson of Kurtz, himself a rock guitarist with unbelievably eclectic musical tastes, pops in with a guest entry.
Hello Cleveland!
Martin asked me to review the debut album of his brother's death metal outfit (as he put it), citing general unfamiliarity with the genre as a reason. Arguably he's also lacking somewhat in the objectivity department. Or, he hated the record and wanted someone else to bring the hatchet down. Maybe I'm a pawn being pushed in some family power struggle or blood feud. Give this job to Clemenza.
But I digress. At hand is Remnants of Forgotten Horrors by…
gregladen | January 6, 2014I'll be giving a talk on climate change and related matters in Stillwater on Monday:
The Global and Local Impacts of Climate Change
Anthropogenic Climate Change, also misleadingly known as "Global Warming," has emerged as a significant reality affecting societies and economies around the world and at home. In this talk we'll examine the contentious questions of changes in weather patterns and sea level rise. Both of these effects of warming have already had impacts and these impacts are expected to increase in the future. What does the science say about "weather whiplash," severe storms, and…
jdupuis | January 6, 2014Every year for the last bunch of years I’ve been linking to and posting all the “year’s best sciencey books” lists that I can find around the web in various media outlets.
From the beginning it’s been a pretty popular service so I’m happy to continue it. The previous posts for all the 2013 lists are here.
Here's a bunch of lists:
Foreign Affairs: The Best Books of 2013 on Economic, Social, and Environmental Subjects
Energy for Future Presidents: The Science Behind the Headlines by Richard A. Muller
Bad Pharma: How Drug Companies Mislead Doctors and Harm Patients by Ben Goldacre
Newsday…
jrosenhouse | January 4, 2014Last week we introduced selfmates with a straightforward example that I composed in the late 1980s. This week we feature another representative of this genre. It was created by an American composer named Mark Kirtley, in 1986. In the position below, white is to play and force selfmate in eight moves. (Recall that this means that white will force black to deliver checkmate, while black will do everything in his power to avoid giving mate.)
Recall that the vertical files are labeled a--h from left to right. The horizontal ranks are labeled 1--8 from bottom to top. So, the white king is…