I often use a computer to create graphics, but there was a time when I used graphics to compute. That era came back to me the other day in the library. I was browsing among dusty volumes in the folio section when I came upon this:

The Design of Diagrams
for Engineering Formulas
and
The Theory of Nomography
by
Laurence […]

My friends up north tell me they have quite enough snowflakes already, thank you. Nevertheless, Janko Gravner and David Griffeath are making more. Or, rather, they’re making snowfakes (the word is theirs, not mine):

In case there’s any doubt, the image above is not a photograph of a real snowflake; it’s an incredible simulation.
Mathematical and […]

From the listener’s point of view, the utility curve for mathematics talks seems to look something like the plot at right. If you already know everything about a subject before you walk into the room, you’re not likely to learn much. At the opposite extreme, if your prior knowledge is absolutely zero, it’s again all […]

There’s a lot of mathematics going on here in San Diego, and I’m taking notes. But for now, what I have to offer is a bucket of pixels:

It’s hard to get excited about the architecture of convention centers. They’re like airports: You’re pleasantly surprised if they’re merely functional. In many respects the San Diego convention […]

The fellow across the aisle is a stranger to me, but I know we share a destination. He’s scanning the index of the meeting program, presumably looking for friends or colleagues delivering a paper. When I unfold myself from seat 22D and stroll toward the back of the plane, I spot a few more of […]