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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://nautil.us/issue/24/error/top-10-design-flaws-in-the-human-body Top 10 Design Flaws in the Human Body Evolution constructed our bodies with the biological equivalent of duct tape and lumber scraps. Um... lumber scraps are biological. Duct tape I'm not sure about. Or duck tape. With that in mind, I surveyed anatomists and biologists to compile a punch list for the human body, just as you’d do before buying a house. Get out your checkbook. This one’s a fixer-upper. I'm too old to flip myself. I'm not going to rehash the points of the article here. Some make sense. Some are idiotic. I'm just going to provide my own, unrelated top 10 list. Waltz's Top 10 Design Flaws in the Human Body 10. Toes. Seriously, what the fuck? 9. Eyes on only one side of the head. 8. The inability to regenerate lost parts like some lizards do. 7. Lack of functional wings. 6. Sunburn. 5. Hair in odd places. 4. Ears. Have you looked at ears? REALLY looked at them? They're totally weird. 3. Absence of web shooters in wrists. 2. Farts. 1. Whatever the mechanism is that makes us gain weight after we're fully grown. I mean, really, how can any list of human design flaws not include at least some of these? |