11:11, 11-11-11

I like numbers, mostly because they are so important in math. There is a neat pattern today and since I posted this morning I was able to get the time stamp for 11:11, so that's ten times that the number 1 can be used in writing the time and date today.

It's also Veterans Day.

Here are a few resources to look at for more information:

United States Department of Veterans Affairs - History of Veterans Day

United States Department of Veterans Affairs - Poster Gallery

United States Department of Veterans Affairs

Wikipedia Veterans Day

This is a day to remember and honor all veterans.

Minnesota State Fair Photos

We went to the Minnesota State Fair yesterday. Take a look at some of the fun photos I took in the following posts. Here in this post is a short video that shows just a few of the fun rides that we were much too chicken to go on. But perhaps you'd enjoy going round and round and round or upside down or round and round while you are also upside down and maybe going backwards too, just for the fun of it.

Minnesota State Fair Photos

Chainsaw Art. I'm quite sure that's how this statue was done. It does seem to have been at the Fair for more than one year, it sure looks weathered to me. He's a cute little guy playing a concertina. If you want to see him, he is in the north part of the Fairgrounds, near the large gray newer building that has the dogs on display, pet toys to purchase, and Canine Cops information.

I'm not much of an artist. I've only done some clay, a little bit of glass blowing, and maybe one drawing that looked like anything special. But I do think sculpture of any kind would be harder than drawing, throwing pots, or painting. You have to look at a log or a large piece of stone or marble and somehow see the finished work of art inside the material you are working with. How much do you take off so that you still have the ears? How do you decide how much to take off for his neck? If you make a mistake while painting, you can add more paint and cover it up. If you make a mistake while throwing a pot, you can just make the pot shorter, or slap the clay together and start over. With sculpture, if you aren't careful, you'll have one ear too far down on his head, or you'll take off too much and his legs will be wobbly.

That being said, Chainsaw Art is noisy and loud!

Minnesota State Fair Photos

I wish we had see the tractors on our way in to the Fair instead of from the Skyride on our way out. I would have spend some time looking at all of them. I think there must have been at least30, maybe 50 tractors, each one different and all of them really neat. These obviously were up on Machinery Hill which is in the north part of the Fairgrounds. Next year we'll be sure to see the tractors.

Minnesota State Fair Photos

Here's another photo I took while on the Ferris Wheel. We went Friday and the Midway was not very crowded yet. It will probably have three times as many people on Saturday, Sunday and Labor Day. Maybe even ten times as many people.

Minnesota State Fair Photos

We go to the Minnesota State Fair nearly every year. When I was younger, I would go a few times each year, so I probably have been there about 50 times so far. Therefore, we don't try to see everything each year. This year, we did go to the Midway and go on a ride - the Ferris Wheel. I was able to get some nice photos while riding the Ferris Wheel. Maybe next year we should try the Double Ferris Wheel.

Minnesota State Fair Photos

We went on the Sky Ride. (I think I got the name right. There's two rides that are similar. We went in the ride where you have to be ready for the seat to come up behind you and get on while it keeps moving. Also, your feet dangle down, so keep those flip flops on tight or you'll lose them.)

Anyway, people do drop stuff. They should be more careful. We saw this little fellow on a roof. Somewhere a little kid is sad and lonely. But not to worry. Little Green Frog had a soft landing. He is after all Plush. And now he is waving to everyone as they pass over the brown roof on their journey.

Minnesota State Fair Photos

We found this place to relax and have some French Fries and a Coke. It's called Netherfield's and has all the things that make it a great place to eat at the Fair. It was clean and had good food, more than just the French Fries and Coke that we had. There were tables to sit at, many of them in shade. It had lots of condiments that were easy to get at and even three
places to use hand sanitizer and paper towels before eating.

Good food, a place to sit and shade are valuable commodities at the Fair!

Minnesota State Fair Photos

This photo shows something that I haven't seen before at the Fair. That doesn't mean it wasn't there last year, but it seems like a fun idea. And it's free.

It's a Giant Sing Along. Just join the crowd and sing along.

Minnesota State Fair

Go to the Minnesota State Fair. It's going on now! August 25 through Labor Day, Sept 5, 2011.

Visit the Minnesota State Fair Website. Find out about all the delicious food on a stick. And much much more.

Today is National Train Day

It's a special day today. Did you even realize that it's National Train Day? Good thing I reminded you. If you haven't been on a train lately, it's about time you get in gear. Read all about National Train Day here and then get moving.

Whooo whooo. All aboard!

World Festival Parade at Mayo High School

I had the opportunity this past weekend to go to the Rochester International Association's 36th Annual World Festival at Mayo High School. I could only stay for a few minutes, but I did get a chance to look at the various booths from all the different countries and talk with some of the people there. I also was lucky to be there (with my camera) for the Parade.

Here (at bottom of this post) is the first part of the parade. For the middle and end of the parade, scroll down to the next post. I have learned that I can't put a video up on the blog that is too long or too big. It just won't work. So, the easiest thing was for me to start and stop my camera and have a few short videos. Not the best, but a quick solution for now. When I get the time, I'll read the manual and find out how to edit my videos to make them just the right size.

The parade starts with someone, perhaps from Scotland, playing the bagpipes. I wish the video was all in one posting so that you could hear all of the song, but perhaps you will recognize it anyway. Many people are playing drums and it is interesting to see the different drums from the different countries.

I did have the opportunity also to see some young dancers from Ireland. That was interesting and very impressive. One can only imagine how much they practice to get to be that good! On Friday night there was the talent show which would have been really fun to attend, but alas, I was not able to make it to that portion this year. Next year I will have to save the date on my calendar for sure!

World Festival Parade - Second Part

Here is the middle portion of the parade.

World Festival Parade - Third Part

This shows the last part of the parade and is a little bit longer than the first two videos.

World Festival France

I was only at the World Festival at Mayo High School for a very brief time, but I took a few photos of the table about France. Scroll down for another photo and then also a short video of the whole display about France.

World Festival France

Here's another photo of the table about France.

World Festival France

Here is just a short video of the France table. In the background you can hear Scottish bagpipes.

Zumbro River Cafe

Zumbro River Cafe has been open for a short time now. It's right next to Dunn Bros, in fact they share the same entrance, share the same kitchen, and surprise! are owned by the same people who own Dunn Bros.

I read a recent article in the Post Bulletin by Jeff Kiger -- "Heard on the Street: Zumbro Cafe Opens Next to Popular Coffee Shop". So tonight seemed like a great night to check out the new restaurant and let someone else do the cooking and wash the dishes.

Are Federal Workers Overpaid?

Today is just another average day. As I was checking my email, this was one of the stories that popped up in Yahoo! news. Here's a link to it from the AP:

FACT CHECK: Are Federal Workers Overpaid?

It's an interesting story, so you should go read it. It says the average Federal worker earns more than the average worker in the private sector. Ah, but here's the catch. They're comparing "Apples and Oranges" and that never works.

For example, the article notes that a "disproportionate number of federal employees are professionals, such as managers, lawyers, engineers and scientists." Many of the lower paid federal jobs such as clerical or service jobs have been outsourced to private sector.

So of course, on the average, scientists would make more money that someone working in the mail room.

But when you compare salaries of comparable jobs, such as lawyer to lawyer, it is often the case that the private sector pays more than the Federal Government. And the more that continues, the more likely the best people will leave government jobs and go to the private sector. That's good for them, but perhaps not so good for all of us. We should want our brightest people working for us. That just makes sense.

But here is why I even put this posting about Federal Workers here. It immediately reminded me of my 7th Grade Math teacher, Mr. Gustafson. He was a neat guy and a good teacher. He talked about a book way back then that I still remember and in fact I purchased that book a few years back.

That book is "How to Lie with Statistics" by Darrell Huff. Now don't stop reading just because you think you don't like statistics. This is a short book and really interesting. You can still buy this book and you should consider it. You can read the book in one evening and it is important when you think of all the statistics thrown at us every day. We make decisions based on those statistics and we should be interested in making good, sound decisions.

The whole point of the AP article about fact checking the pay of Federal workers was in the use of "average". (Note the title of my blog: Mean, Median, Mode, Just an Average Blog.) You can use averages to get an idea of the whole picture of something, but you need to do it in a mathematically meaningful and honest way.

Here's a few more links about the book, "How to Lie with Statistics" by Darrell Huff.

Book review by Jim Loy that lists the chapters in the book.

Barnes & Noble information to order this book.

Now, go buy that book and read it. Or if nothing else, take everything you hear about averages with a grain of salt. Otherwise you might be tempted to believe me when I say that, on the average, my blog is the best blog on the internet.

Happy Birthday, James T. Kirk

It's that time of year again, James T. Kirk's birthday. Technically, he won't be born until the year 2228, but when he is born, it will be on this day.

Riverside, Iowa will be his birthplace and they probably had a great celebration today there. William Shatner did a film there some years back which, while not Oscar material, was funny and well done. I especially enjoyed how well the townspeople played along and participated.

The photo is from the Wikipedia page on James T. Kirk.

Another Year, Another Pi Day

Luckily, someone mentioned to someone else and they mentioned to me so I'll mention to you.

It's Pi Day. Yes, 3/14 is the date and the value of Pi is 3.14.

And, just in case you are wondering what the complete value of Pi is, well of course I can't tell you, but I can get it a little bit better than just the 3.14. This year I'll write 3.14159. Next year, maybe more. Tune in then and see.

I found this article and wish I had thought up the opening sentence.

"Mathematics geeks turned irrational as they celebrated Pi Day Monday, the day of the year which represents the first three digits of the mathematical constant pi --3.14."

Irrational, ooh that is so smart.

Anyway, there's a lot of information about Pi at Wikipedia here if you are interested. It is interesting, so you should take a look.

World Maths Day

It would be a shame to not mention that today is World Maths Day!

We need to have a lot more emphasis on math in our schools and in everyday life. Math is fun and it is important. Everybody do more of it and do it more often.

Here's something else that I would like to see. No more dissing math on news casts. No more saying "Math is hard," or "Math is boring," and things like that.

If nothing else, please practice your multiplication facts today.

1-11-11

Well, I remembered to post at 11:11 on 1-11-11. It doesn't mean anything, it's just a number pattern. But I do like numbers and number patterns and math, so hats off to me plus the person who helped me remember to post something numerical tonight.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year. Time for all those New Year's Resolutions. Most people at least try to make a few. It's a good idea because sometimes you will actually follow through. I gave up chocolate one year. And for nine years I didn't eat any chocolate. Now that is determination and willpower!