Good Company
by Brian Hayes
Published 8 December 2006
Scott Aaronson, at Shtetl-Optimized, blogs:
To those of us who can’t tell a hypotenuse from a rhombus, the phrase “math journalism” sounds like an oxymoron. It brings to mind boring pedants like Martin Gardner, Sara Robinson, and Brian Hayes….
Thanks, Scott! Can I get that on a teeshirt?
Responses from readers:
Please note: The bit-player website is no longer equipped to accept and publish comments from readers, but the author is still eager to hear from you. Send comments, criticism, compliments, or corrections to brian@bit-player.org.
Publication history
First publication: 8 December 2006
Converted to Eleventy framework: 22 April 2025
I can’t understand of any intelligent being can write something as dumb and short-sighted as Scott has. I read Scott’s blog from time to time, and I find it quite less interesting than bit-player. Maybe I can tell a hypotenuse from a rhombus… or maybe I am also boring and pedantic.
HTML really needs a <sarcasm> tag. I’m pretty sure that Scott Aaronson was not genuinely praising the BBC’s report on “nullity.” And his jab at Martin Gardner, Sara Robinson and me was also, I think, made with playful intent. I found his comment amusing because — in my case at least — he hit close to the target. I *am* a bit of a boring pedant — and proud of it!