Children just learning about addition and subtraction are often told that they can't subtract a larger number from a smaller one. Why? Sometimes these children have already learned outside of class about negative numbers. How would you explain, as simply as possible, to these children why their teacher is apparently lying to them?

Isn't that why we have whachamacallit...uh, natural (counting) numbers? It's an opportunity to discuss sets!

reminds self to find a copy of Lies My Teacher Taught Me for Emily....

HOCKEY!

Don't count your poutine before it's hatched - there's still a week in which both the Board of Governors and the membership of the NHLPA have to vote the agreement through, and Jeremy Roenick is still publicly griping that the players (namely, him) aren't getting what they deserve with this deal.

NYC Subway Google map!

I just saw that. SO COOL. Although it does nothing to clear up for me which R stop is closer to my house. I will continue to base my choice on time of day and where I'm going, I guess.

the whole idea of "different number systems" aside from just defining them.

You mean, like, base-8 and stuff? I wish, when I was a kid learning that stuff, that somebody had pointed out that telling time is a "different number system" and I do that with ease. Time is all base-12 and base-60, which can be frustrating, when you are adding up the seconds on several different video clips, and can only find a calculator that works in base-10.

This also gives you the opportunity to introduce the word "eleventy", which every child should learn.

Don't count your poutine before it's hatched

Dude, it's not like I'd have time to watch it anyway, these days.

Today's Get Fuzzy seems appropriate for natter: [link]

I like the way seto f numbers seem to expand to the next level whenever yo run into something yo can't do. You start with the Natural Numbers and you can count things. But whatabout when all the things are hpne? So you add zero and have Whole Numbers. But what about when you only have part of something? Then you need Rational Numbers. And how about when you owe something to someone else -> Negative Numbers. Turns out the square root of two is troublesome so we need Irrational Numbers. And pi is even more troublesome so we need Transcendental Numbers. And even if you can undertsand the concept of Real Numbers, that's still not enough because gosh darn it we want to be able to take the square root of negative numbers we have to have Complex Numbers. Are the numbers we learned in kindergarten Complex Numbers?

Personally, I wouldn't think very much of getting money as a wedding gift. It seems a little tacky.

I base my wedding gifts on need. If a couple's been living together or already have an established household, I don't see the use of giving crystal or a dish or pots and pans. The idea of wedding gifts back when the tradition started was to help a couple establish a household with goods they would need for housekeeping, etc.

I'm also confident that money as a gift is always appreciated, whatever anyone thinks of the custom.

Of course, I think that any expectation of gifts is tacky. Like if a person specifically requests cash in lieu of gifts--that person just gets a card congratulating them on their marriage.

"There are always cats in pants."

Words to live by.

That's been my tagline all day.