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Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024

10:39pm EST

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Complex Numbers

by Waltz Invictus

Rated: 18+ · Book · Personal · #1196512

Not for the faint of art.

Complex Numbers

A complex number is expressed in the standard form a + bi, where a and b are real numbers and i is defined by i^2 = -1 (that is, i is the square root of -1). For example, 3 + 2i is a complex number.

The bi term is often referred to as an imaginary number (though this may be misleading, as it is no more "imaginary" than the symbolic abstractions we know as the "real" numbers). Thus, every complex number has a real part, a, and an imaginary part, bi.

Complex numbers are often represented on a graph known as the "complex plane," where the horizontal axis represents the infinity of real numbers, and the vertical axis represents the infinity of imaginary numbers. Thus, each complex number has a unique representation on the complex plane: some closer to real; others, more imaginary. If a = b, the number is equal parts real and imaginary.

Very simple transformations applied to numbers in the complex plane can lead to fractal structures of enormous intricacy and astonishing beauty.

http://www.ddewey.net/mandelbrot/

Signature for Honorable Mentions in 2018 Quill Awards

A signature for exclusive use of winners at the 2019 Quill Awards

Signature for those who have won a Quill Award at the 2020 Quill Awards

Show Recent Comments

10 Most Recent Blog Comments:

Aiva Raine

about 3 hours ago
In response to "Need for Speed"

Even with the actual explanation- it still left me going- sooooo what's the difference between the special expensive "speed tape" they use for "temporary fixes" and duct tape? LOL- sure sounds like duct tape to me and they are using it for exactly the same reasons you would use duct tape. I'm guessing that the only difference between it and duct tape is the "speed tape" is slightly stronger and handles temperature differences better. It still comes down holding the plane together with tape which doesn't exactly fill me with confidence. Especially if it's a Boeing plane.

1 Like

tj-Merry Mischief Maker

about 4 hours ago
In response to "Need for Speed"

I suppose they call it speed tape to keep people calm. If they called it what it is, temporary repair tape, they may lose passengers.

2 Like

Waltz Invictus

about 13 hours ago
In response to "Need for Speed"

Ichabod Crane-- Mince Pie

, I've heard that speed tape is extremely expensive. I can only assume the maintenance guys at Delta got a five-finger discount. But if you're going to steal from work, might as well go big and not just lift a box of paper clips.

1 Like

Ichabod Crane-- Mince Pie

about 14 hours ago
In response to "Need for Speed"

One of the last jobs I had was with Delta. I did ask the maintanace guys about that tape once and they pointed out high speed will rip duct tape or any other tape right off. They used it personally for their boats sometimes because of its strength. But looking out a window at 400 miles an hour and 30 thousand feet up and see duct tape on the wing. Certainly made me nervous first time I saw it.

3 Like

tj-Merry Mischief Maker

a day ago
In response to "Fork You Too"

Now that I know forks are the center of dining controversy, I'll have to apply this at all family gatherings where demon dining utensils are in use.

1 Like

tj-Merry Mischief Maker

Dec 15, 2024 at 1:06pm
In response to "Revisited: "Those Naughty Brits""

I don't think there's such a thing as kinky sex anymore. Why? Based on the general definition, kinky sex refers to sexual activities and preferences that fall outside standard sexual practices. Nowadays it seems anything goes and there are no norms or standards.

Oh, another thing; do you remember if the link had pictures? Asking for a friend.

1 Like

Wordsmitty ✍️

Dec 15, 2024 at 12:45pm
In response to "Revisited: "Those Naughty Brits""

Waltz Invictus - As they say, you're a more proper man than I. I may even check out the other links with those key words.

2 Like

Waltz Invictus

Dec 15, 2024 at 12:32pm
In response to "Revisited: "Those Naughty Brits""

Thanks for that, Wordsmitty ✍️

. Sometimes I make the effort to find an article from a dead link. This time, I did not.

1 Like

Wordsmitty ✍️

Dec 15, 2024 at 12:29pm
In response to "Revisited: "Those Naughty Brits""

I think we're all glad that society has advanced so far in a decade and a half. Which way is up to you.

For those interested, there's a "Search" option in the Times main page. Page 6 of the results comes up with this link: https://www.thetimes.com/article/4d5f3e63-22c9-45c0-837b-c3ad9d236ae8

2 Like

Elisa: Snowman Stik

Dec 15, 2024 at 9:35am
In response to "Revisited: "Those Naughty Brits""

Damn, another entry that has me wanting to jump in and offer tons of commentary! Let's have at it.

2008 Me: Journalism may not be dead yet, but it's starting to wander and stink.

Dead now. Mostly.

Clearly I need to highlight more non-profit outlets in my link rundowns. I'm finding lots of good reporting on that front. Perhaps I also need to add more examples of this to "Watch This Space!"

[18+]. Even 60 Minutes is still able to provide some good in the weeds reporting. Point is, journalism is struggling, but good reporting is still out there. I'm doing my damnedest to shine a light on the solid examples. I could use a bit more help in the process.

2008 Me: What happened to investigative journalism? Hell, what happened to comprehensive news stories?

Gods, 2008 Me was so young and naïve.

They still exist. Strangely, I have found that at least in my area the local stations actually put some of their most comprehensive stories online. Also, at least the NBC affiliate has a post-local news show that does more comprehensive reporting. Some pieces are fluffy, but others are not. They are more locally focused, but that's probably a good thing these days. Local news has struggled the most, and we're paying the price for that.

2008 Me: Why is this in the "women" section? Men don't want to read about kinky sex? Please.

I'm guessing men are less likely to consider it kinky, outrageous, or naughty. But what the fuck do I know (pun intended)?

Strangely, this seems almost prudish by British standards, especially in light of the fact that Time magazine reported on BDSM in one of its print issues four years prior. And as we know, Time magazine isn't exactly known for sectioning off its content by gender. The Time coverage did include a photo taken in a BDSM dungeon that wasn't too explicit but really captured the D/s component really well. Honestly, I'd expect a UK publication to do that before a US one, not the other way around.

That said, I suspect the articles may have been written for slightly different audiences. If the audience is primarily women, there is likely to be more implicit shame in the picture, as women have been historically more likely to be primed to be ashamed about their sexuality in any capacity. Don't get me wrong. I know men are also subjected to this shaming. However, it tends to be less persistent and less pervasive in terms of different facets being shamed. In a general audience, the shame element can be downplayed. In a women-focused audience, you have to address the shame angle in some capacity, reassuring them that this isn't such a bad thing. This isn't something I'm directly involved in, but given the lack of women on WDC willing to write about this sort of thing these days, I might have to take one exploring this concept in depth. Ladies, if you're thinking about writing something (journal entry, static item, whatever) about this topic, this is your sign to go ahead and do it!

These days, I have preconceived ideas about headline questions: First, if it's a yes/no question, the answer is probably "no."

Snopes is ready to challenge that assumption.

2 Like

November 4, 2024 at 8:17am

#1079484

It's Hard Not To Scare

This Cracked article might have been better to post before Halloween, but remember, tomorrow is Election Day here. Scary stuff is still in our future.

Scientific Studies That Sound Like the Beginning of a Horror Movie
Two words: Spider goats

I have often looked at articles about what some scientists are doing and think: "You fools! Have you never seen a horror movie?"

Animal testing is an unfortunate but necessary part of certain scientific fields — that is, until the scientists decide to go all Dr. Moreau on some rats. Then it’s just weird. It’s like they’ve never seen a single monster movie.

See? I'm not the only one. (Sometimes, "horror" gets replaced with "science fiction," but usually, horror is still a subgenre.)

5 The Spider Goat

Spider silk is super useful for a lot of different things, but there’s a reason you don’t see a lot of spider farms.

I saw a video recently on how silkworms do their thing. Silkworms are larval moths, and generally unpleasant to look at, but they lack the visceral horror of arachnids. Still, spiders are cool... from a distance.

In 2012, Utah State University geneticists rectified that problem by splicing spider DNA into goat embryos, who eventually grew up to lactate spider silk.

Friendly neighborhood spider-goat.

4 The Man Mice

In 2013, scientists at the University of Rochester implanted human glial brain cells into the brains of newborn mice, who became much smarter and learned faster than other mice as a result.

"What are we going to do tomorrow night, Brain?"

Also, anyone who has ever seen a horror movie should have implored them to stop.

3 Acid Elephant

In the ‘60s, experimenting with LSD was all the rage, in both the scientific and “hanging out in your friend’s cousin’s basement” senses of the word. By 1962, scientists at the University of Oklahoma had run out of ideas until one of them asked, “What if we gave an elephant a thousand doses?”

Which makes me wonder: if we see pink elephants, what do elephants see? Gray humans?

2 Magnetized Cockroaches

“Can you turn a cockroach into a magnet?” is a question you only ask after you’ve been seriously scientifically jaded...

...or on a serious acid trip.

1 Zombie Dogs

Believe it or not, we do know how to bring once-living creatures back from the dead.

Thus shifting the definition of "dead." Used to be: heart stopped = death, but then CPR came along, and now doctors have to pretty much guess when the point of no return occurs.

Cornish hoped to try his method on humans, specifically a recently executed prisoner, but the government forbade it not out of any fear of a zombie apocalypse but because they weren’t sure how double jeopardy laws applied to a revived corpse.

Seems like an important legal loophole to fix.

Add to this mix the penchant of certain scientists to revive millennia-old bacteria found in ice cores, and you definitely have the makings of a horror movie. But still not as scary as tomorrow's election.

4 Like • Comment • View 3 comments

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