Z is for Zero

If you've been reading along recently with my A-Z challenge, you may have already guessed that Z is for Zero. I was going to go into a long discussion about zero and infinity-whether they were the same thing or opposites. Sort of like the continuum of love and hate. But my schedule is full, and I need more sleep, so that's too much to think about right now. So I've pulled another one from the files for you to peruse.

After tomorrow, there is Zilch to do for this challenge! Yea!

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Zero--a book review

This month's selection for my book club was Zero-the Biography of a Dangerous Idea by Charles Seife. This nonfiction book discusses the history of numbers and their place in society, focusing on the ever-important concept of zero and its partner infinity. Now, if you're not a math person, don't stop reading yet. Seife has master's degrees in math and journalism and takes a seemingly dry subject and makes it a very interesting read. He starts in the beginning with the use of numbers to count things and goes to the present day with string theory and such. 

First, let me tell you what background knowledge I brought to the book, so you can put my perceptions in context. I had the basic science and math courses in college of physics, chemistry, and calculus. I didn't have any advanced courses in these areas. However, I am married to someone who reads math and physics books for fun, so I should know a lot if you can learn anything by osmosis. I found the book an interesting read for several reasons.

I had never thought about the evolution of numbers and their use. I guess I just assumed that all of them had always been there, including zero. However, that was naive. They have evolved over time just as our scientific ideas have often hand in hand--which makes perfect sense if I'd ever taken the time to think about it. Also, I had never thought about the beautiful or sinister (depending on your point of view) concepts of zero and infinity in a religious sense. There have been a lot of different ideas about whether God created things from something or from nothing and whether there is a beginning and ending to the universe. Many men and societies survived or didn't, depending on their views on this subject and what was politically correct at the time. Also, the book reads like a who's who of the big players throughout time in the science and math world. However, Seife does more than discuss their math contributions. He tells about the life they were living and how their work affected their life. It is very much a history book in all of these ways.

Zero is also a math book. Seife describes each new concept as it was discovered, and he gives very understandable examples of that concept in everyday terms. He seems to have a real gift for this, and I think his examples could be used in the classroom to make things clear and relevant to students.

Now, after all of that praise, let me tell you the rest of the story. The book can be a quick and easy read. At least, that was how it was for the math professor in our group. However, I found it a fast read if I didn't try to thoroughly understand the examples or a tedious read when I was trying to understand them--especially toward the end when they were getting more complex.

What did the others think about Zero? Some commented that there may have been other sides to the story, especially in the religious context, than were presented by Seife. However, most of the other comments were favorable. They thought it was well written and the subject matter interesting. Out in the rest of the world, it has won awards and has gotten favorable reviews from most major newspapers.

Would I recommend the book? Yes, but I wouldn't call it a beach-read type book for the average person. I plan to reread it and savor all of the fascinating information it has to offer. (Especially when I have trouble sleeping.)
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But wait, there's more:

The latter parts of the book discuss many things that I have heard referenced on The Big Bang Theory. I now understand better what Sheldon and Leonard are often talking about.

But wait, there's even more:

If you want to know more details about the book, read here.

Y is for "Yes! We Have No Bananas"

There were many good Y words like Youth, Years, Yellow, Yogurt, Yardstick, Yarn, and Yipee to write about, but every time I tried to think about a way to develop a post on one of them, the song, Yes! We Have No Bananas, was the only thing that popped into my head. Are you familiar with that song?

The song first became a hit in 1923 and has been recorded many times. (The Wiki Page needed more references, so I'm not going into any more of its history.) I first heard it in third grade, and I had to think twice about the meaning. The song was saying yes but meant no. I thought it was very clever.

Flash forward a few years to when I was learning about negative numbers, and I just couldn't understand how you could multiply two negative numbers and get a positive result. But Aunt Martha had the perfect words to describe it to me. She said, "I don't have no pencil. Do I have a pencil or not?" With those few words, it all made sense. I did have a pencil. That example reminded me of the banana song and the clever use of yes and no, and it seemed to be a good example for negative numbers, too. If you have a yes (positive number) combined with a no (negative number), the result is negative. There you have it. Simple math explained in a complicated way. :)

And now I have two posts in a row with a math theme (remember yesterday and using X as a math variable). Although granted, it's a weak theme, I may use it to finish up. So, can you guess what tomorrow's post will be about?

X is for X

 What do math variables, x-rays, Malcomb X, and the X-Files all have in common? They all use X to represent an unknown. 

X-rays-- Roentgen didn't know what he had, so he called them x-rays.
Malcomb X-- calls himself that for all of his unknown ancestors from Africa.
X Files--They worked on strange cases with unknown origins.

Going with this idea, my next two posts are Y is for x, and Z is for x. :)

W is for What's Blooming

Spring is a constant parade of color. Here's what's blooming in the color parade this week at my house.

Pansies

Phlox subulata, Emerald Blue

Viburnum, Decker 

Lilac

Apple Tree

Sour Cherry Tree

Wallflowers

Daffodils

Virginia bluebells

Grape Hyacinth 

Daffodil

Tulips

Dogwoods

V is for Very Pleased

For Christmas, my sister-in-law got me a subscription to Storyworth, a service that records people's stories. They send me a question each week to write about some aspect of my life, both past and present. Then after a year of questions, they will publish them in a book. 

I am very pleased that I have been able to keep up with the questions, even though answering them can be time-consuming. I try to be thorough, including as many names, dates, and addresses as I can figure out, and while collecting this data is interesting, it takes time.

It's been a struggle to do a daily A-Z blog post and work on the Storyworth queries. Some people love to write, need to write. That's not me. Writing is something I do to form connections with others and record memories. All that means is that I am very proud of myself for my writing efforts thus far because, given a choice, I would usually choose to do something else (like work in the yard, read a book, watch reruns, etc.).

Below are the questions I've answered so far for Storyworth. There are some interesting ones here that might open conversations with others who you want to learn more about.

What was your Mom like when you were a child?

What Was It Like When You Went from High School to College?

How did you get your first job?

What were your grandparents like?

Where did you go on vacations as a child?

How did you choose your major in college?

How did you learn to ride a bicycle?

What have you changed your mind about over the years?

What stories have you been told about yourself as a baby?

Tell me about an adventure you've been on.

What is the best job you've ever had?

Did you ever move as a child? What was that experience like?

Did you have a car in high school?

Did you have any nicknames as a child? How did you feel about them?

Have you ever had a "supernatural" experience or an experience you couldn't explain?

Next up:

What is one of your favorite trips that you've taken? What made it great?

U is for Use it Up

This is a cross-stitch that I did several years ago. I selected it because I liked the saying and the flower detail around the edges. Recently, I began to wonder about the origin of the saying. After a bit of Googling, Barry Popik, who studies the origins of words enlightened me.

The saying is thought to be a New England proverb seen in print as early as 1933. Earlier versions of the saying were, “Eat it up, wear it out, make it do,” and it was widely used during the Great Depression. However, the War Advertising Council modified it and used the saying during World War II to promote the conservation of resources to help the war effort. During this campaign, the wording was changed to "Use it up, wear it out, Make it do, Do without." 

It has been used since then by frugal and environmentally-minded people everywhere. Do you ever quote this saying?

T is for Tissue

 or Is it Kleenex?

I guess the dream of every marketer is that their product becomes so successful that it becomes a household name, and even better, the brand name becomes the generic name for the product. Kleenex is one of those things. They are actually Kleenex tissues. I know one person who calls her tissues Scotties for Scot's brand tissues that she uses. However, Scotties has not caught on the same way that Kleenex has. Here are a few other examples of brand names that have become generic for a product that I've taken from an article by Mental Floss.

Ping-Pong 

Ping Pong was trademarked in 1901 as a brand of table tennis products named for the sound the ball makes when it hits the table.

 Sharpie

The permanent marker was invented in 1956, but the Sharpie wasn’t introduced until 1964. Today, the products are almost synonymous with one another. Back when I was growing up, my permanent markers were referred to by the brand Magic Markers.

Band-Aids

Johnson & Johnson manufactured gauze and adhesive tape separately until Earle Dickson had the idea to combine them to create Band-Aids for his accident-prone wife.

Dumpster

Dumpster is a brand name, which is true, although the word has become largely genericized and the trademark is not widely enforced. The APA has even dropped the recommendation to capitalize the word. The Dumpster got its name from the Dempster Brothers Inc., which combined their name with the word “dump” to create the Dempster Dumpster.

 Xerox

Xerox has been trying to stop people from calling photocopying "xeroxing" for years. "Use Xerox only as an adjective to identify our products and services," said a 2010 print ad, "not a verb, 'to Xerox,' or a noun, 'Xeroxes.' Something to keep in mind that will help us keep it together." It's only in the last couple of years that I find myself saying copying more than Xeroxing.

Formica 

If not made by the Diller Corporation, you should call it a decorative laminate. I went to school with kids whose grandfather invented Formica. They were one of the richer families in town.

GED

The GED is certainly the most famous of the high school equivalency diplomas, but this one is trademarked by the American Council on Education.

Seeing Eye Dog

Technically it's only a Seeing Eye Dog if it's trained by Seeing Eye of Morristown New Jersey. Otherwise it's a guide dog.

Did you know that all of these were associated with a specific brand? I didn't.

S is for Safety

I am a reasonably safety-conscious person. In some areas, it's easy for me to be that way. For example, I'm uncomfortable with heights, so you won't find me standing too close to the edge of a cliff. Where I don't have a natural fear, I read studies and listen to experts on safety recommendations. Of course, there have been many discussions over the last two years about safety procedures and the coronavirus, but I won't go into that here. I'm going to talk about bicycle safety instead.

We didn't have bicycle helmets when I was growing up, and most kids survived without them. And because of that, many people have the attitude that if it was good enough for me, it's good enough for my kids. 

However, my kids did grow up in a time with bike helmets, and I made them wear them for a few reasons. First, it was recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, and secondly, they were required by law. Both were based on safety concerns for head injuries. On top of those, my sister worked at the John's Hopkins trauma center, where patients would come from around the country for an evaluation and treatment plan. She was on a team that helped do that.  My sister saw many bad head injuries from bicycle accidents where the rider was not wearing a helmet, and she begged me to make sure that my kids wore them. So if I had been on the fence before, she definitely convinced me of their importance.

I was having this discussion with one of the other mothers in the neighborhood one day, and she told the story of how her daughter had a bike accident, and the helmet saved her life. In fact, the local police used her helmet when they would give safety talks to drive home the point of their importance. But here's the part I didn't understand. Her daughter rode her bike all the time without her helmet, and her mother didn't bat an eye. 

That wasn't me. So were my kids the weird ones because I made them wear a helmet? Did they protest? Yes, but sometimes you have to be the grown-up and do what you think is right.

R is for Red

Here are a few red things I found on a quick look around the house. I was going to go outside to find some more, but it was cold and windy, so I stayed inside where it was warm. Here it goes for R is for Red.

I like to start the day with a smile. However, I'm not a morning person,
so I enlist the help of this one sometimes.

Last fall, I made a collage about coronavirus. This is one of the "viruses" on had on it.

You saw this bedside clock recently. We have one with red numbers because
red light is not very bright but is still readable. I learned this by seeing
Ward do star watching with a flashlight covered in red plastic wrap.

The poinsettias have added new blooms since Christmas.

The males in the family like all kinds of hot sauces, but this is
perhaps their favorite. I find all of them too hot for me.

This is a Sunday School pin I got when I was a little girl. 

The Legend of Mammy Jane by Sibyl Jarvis. This book takes place close to where I grew up in West Virginia, and I have friends who knew the family it was based on. The writing style is unpolished, but the story is compelling. It has been a favorite of many over the years. In fact, my aunt has a tradition of rereading it every July since it came out in 1981,

When you look around, what is the first red thing that your see?

Q is for Quordle, Hurdle, and Wordle

 Are you participating in the Wordle word game phenomenon? It's a simple online game in which you get six attempts to guess a five-letter word. With each guess, you get feedback on whether or not the word you tried has any of the letters in the word of the day and if they are in the correct position. It was released in October 2021 by Josh Wardle, who first developed it for his partner. The game took off like crazy, and just a few months later, it was bought by the New York Times in January 2022. I think the brilliance of the game is that there is only one puzzle released every day, so there is no chance that you can binge play it. 

I was a little late to the game and started to play about a month ago when Miss Landers showed it to me. I quickly became hooked like everyone else. When I couldn't get enough of Wordle, (forget this one word, one game per day) I started to play Wordle 2, a knock-off of the original that has you guessing a 6-letter word. Not surprisingly, Wordle 2 has had to change its name to Word Hurdle. And because two of these games a day were still not enough, I started to play Quordle, which has you solving four five-letter words simultaneously.

 However, I am trying very hard not to try any of the other 40 or so copycat games out there because I don't need any more excuses to spend time on the computer. So when I finish my online word games for the day, I sate myself with an old fashion pencil and crossword puzzle book.

Do you like word games? Do you play Wordle or a similar game?

P is for Pill bugs

Pillbugs, or roly-polies, as some people call them, are small, 11-sectioned bugs that curl up into a ball for defense. They are arthropods and are more closely related to shrimp and crabs than insects and worms. But this is recent knowledge to me. For most of my life, I thought of them as bugs. And that's what I thought when Theo took a liking to them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armadillidium_vulgare

When he was a toddler, Theo went through a phase where he was fascinated with pill bugs. We had an abundance of them around the edge of our patio and Theo would pick them up and promptly put them in his mouth. We did everything we could to discourage this, but he persisted. One day I saw that he had a dozen or so in his mouth, and I shouted to get them out of his mouth. And do you know what he did? He promptly swallowed them all. I guess I should have been more specific about what I wanted. 

However, I've recently learned that they are edible and taste like shrimp. Maybe if I had known that then, I would have cleaned them up and let Theo eat all he wanted. But then again, maybe not. We don't eat manly insects in this country, and it just seems wrong.

Have you eaten any exotic insects?

O is for Outdoors

 or Is It Out-of-Doors

Outdoors, out-of-doors, or outside. I never really thought about the differences among those words until now, when I was thinking about an O post. Upon further investigation, I figured out that outside is a noun while outdoors and out-of-doors are synonyms for adverbs of place. Makes sense when I think about the context in which they're used. Now the next question. If we say out-of-doors, why don't we say in-of-doors? The answer for that will just have to wait until another time. For now, here are a few pictures of a recent hike that I took with Ward and Wally out-of-doors.

The trail began along these rocks.

Then it went down a hill where we hiked along a river for a while.

And along railroad tracks. The trail went back up the hill before we went through the tunnel.

The woods were mostly gray, but we did see some color like this old forsythia hedge
at the edge of a clearing.

Yellow was the color of the day. Not only did we see the forsythia, we saw frequent clumps of this yellow wildflower,

And ever-tenacious dandelions popping up here and there.

N is for Never Have I Ever

Never Have I Ever is a game played in a crowd during which someone states something they have never done, but if someone else has done it, they lose a point, have to take a drink, remove an item of clothing, or whatever version of scorekeeping the group decides on.  I got a list of potential questions for the game from the internet that I'm going to answer here. I'm not sure, but I may win this one since I'm playing by myself. :)

1. Never have I ever missed a flight. I have missed a flight. One time when we were traveling when Wally was an active toddler, we had him in a quiet part of the airport away from the gate to keep him out of other travelers' hair. We were far enough away that we didn't hear the boarding calls and missed our flight. We were able to reschedule, but it was an awful feeling when we realized that our plane had left without us.
   
2. Never have I ever drunk-dialed my ex. I have never drunk dialed my ex. I've never been drunk, so this was an easy one.
   
3. Never have I ever ridden a motorcycle. I have ridden a motorcycle, but it was not a good experience, so I've never done it again.
4. Never have I ever lost a bet. I have lost many bets. Now, if I could only remember one of them.
5. Never have I ever gotten lost alone in a foreign country. I have never been lost alone in a foreign country. I have never traveled alone in a foreign country, and I don't think I've ever been lost. That goodness for my husband's good sense of direction.
6. Never have I ever bribed someone. I have bribed someone; however, I prefer to call it a behavior modification technique. I have offered my kids various "rewards" to change their behavior.
7. Never have I ever gone skinny-dipping. I have not gone skinny-dipping, but I was at a skinny-dipping party in college where I was one of the few who left their clothes on.
8. Never have I ever played hooky from school or work. I have played hooky from school. When I was in high school, I used to take days off to visit my sisters in college. I never got permission to go from the school. I just went. And I didn't have to have a note from my parents. I'm not sure why there wasn't more accountability, but I was a good student, so I think that helped.
9. Never have I ever broken a bone. I have never broken a bone.
10. Never have I ever lived alone. I have lived alone. I lived alone during college and enjoyed it.
11. Never have I ever been on a yacht. I have never been on a yacht. I don't like any boat bigger than a canoe because I get seasick.
12. Never have I ever stolen anything. I have stolen something. When I was a little kid, I stole a piece of candy from an open candy bin at the local 5-and-dime store. It tasted good, but I always felt guilty about it.

Have you ever played this game? How did you keep score?

M is for My Morning

My morning yesterday was fairly routine, or some might use the word boring, but that's okay. I like boring. Here it goes.

I got up a little before 7 am after laying in bed for a while. I like to plan my day before I rise and shine.

After I got up, I checked my email and logged into my fitness program. I am rewarded at work for participating in the fitness program, so I try to do that first thing before I forget. This is my temporary office while construction is going on. Wally got me that chair for Christmas. It's a gaming chair but is quite comfortable as an office chair.

Then I went to our temporary mini kitchen in the living room for a bowl of cereal.

I watched TV while I ate. I turned on one of the morning shows without the sound and read the news crawlers. That's usually how I know if anything significant happened overnight.

Then it was time to release the cats from the basement where they spent the night. Annie was quite vocal about me joining her here, but I had other things to do.

 Ward and I were off to do some errands. We took the back roads, and it was a pretty drive.

The first stop was the recycling station to drop off some cardboard and metal.

The next stop was Lowes for some mulch. So much to choose from.
The winner? The kind that was on sale.

I managed to get out without buying any plants. That's an old sale sign, or I might have been more tempted.

Next up was Costco for a fill-up.

After getting home, Ward and I were able to get two beds weeded and mulched before the rain hit. The main goal of the mulching was to slow down the weeds
while we're waiting to plant more things.

Although the sun was hot, I enjoyed being outside, where the colors are so vibrant this time of year. The crabapple is blooming.

And the cherry tree is just beginning.

As is this apple tree. We rarely get apples from this tree, but it is pretty in the spring.

Then it was time for lunch and a shower before heading off to work. So there you have it, My Morning.

Until next time...