Author Archive: Conrad Schiff

Its hard for the Blog Wyrm staff to believe but the year is coming to an end as we slide into December.  It is amusing to us, and perhaps to you, to note that the etymology of the name ‘December’ has its root in ‘decem’ which is Latin for ten.  The month of December was originally the tenth month of the Roman year until July and August were popped into the calendar to commemorate Julius and Augustus Caesar.  We guess that old saying ‘it is good to be the king’ has some truth to it after all.

Anyway lets talk about this weeks blogzine.  Issue 6 offers a host of interesting articles.  About Comics asks the question as to whether anyone at Marvel is listening or reading their own stories about the Mad Titan Thanos.  We at Blog Wyrm doubt it and would like to make a general appeal that Starlin and only Starlin be allowed to write about ‘The Big T’.  The notions of scientific provability and falsification are explored in Aristotle to Digital, where black swans and misplaced faith play a central role.  The Prisoner’s Dilemma makes the first of what will be many appearances in Common Cents.  Interesting in its own right, its application to social dilemmas is even more fascinating. Finally, the idea of what makes a Greens function out of a quantum propagator is presented in Under the Hood.  It is amazing what a difference a Heaviside step function can make.

Enjoy!

Well Issue 5 is out the door accompanied by pounds of turkey carved and consumed, pieces of pie eaten like there is no tomorrow, and hours lazily whiled away with family watching football and movies and just hanging out.

In this issue we have a holiday-themed post in Common Cents, where the true story of the Plymouth Colony how they eventually had something for which to be thankful is told.  About Comics finishes up a look at the Wild, Weird West with a recap of the action and analysis of the storytelling behind one of the best comics on the market today – East of West.  Aristotle to Digital offers another look at the themes of language and mirth with a fun exploration of the logic behind the ‘wise sayings’ of Yogi Berra.  Finally, Under the Hood continues its examination of time evolution operators, this time drawing a fruitful comparison between quantum and classical mechanics.

The staff at Blog Wyrm wishes all of you a happy Thanksgiving.  Enjoy!

Well temperatures are falling and an amazing amount of snow has fallen across the country.  Poor Buffalo, New York, has been particularly singled out for some of the most intense lake-effect snow to be seen in some time.  Temperatures across the nation seem to be below normal.  Winter seems on the way and eager to get to work.  So we at Blog Wyrm hope that everyone remains warm and safe and is able to enjoy the charms of what can be a difficult season.

This week’s issue will hopefully help your enjoyment as the last few days for really comfortable outdoor activities dwindle.  In About Comics, the second part of the Wild, Weird West covers the really nice work done by Visionary Comics on their Deadlands storyline.  Aristotle to Digital cracks a smile this week with a fun and humorous discussion about one area that artificial intelligence clearly hasn’t been able to come even remotely close to what a human can do – telling a joke.  The column in Common Cents considers the question of what exactly is insurance and reflects on who might benefit by confusing matters of ‘if’ with matters of ‘when’.  Finally, Under the Hood starts a detailed look at time development of quantum systems with a general presentation of the evolution operator.

Enjoy and stay warm.

Well, issue 3 has gone more smoothly than the other two and the Blog Wyrm staff looks like it might actually be settling into a routine here.  For a while, I was worried that we had bit off too much.  On the whole, whether we make our weekly delivery schedule is a trivial problem and one that is entirely self-imposed.  That said, we are mindful that we wouldn’t likely have the freedom to pursue this enterprise without the numerous men and women who served in our armed forces.

As relatively recent immigrants (one of us is third generation, the other first), we don’t have a great deal of familial experience with military service.  My mother and most of her siblings served in some fashion during World War II, and my father served stateside during the Korean War.  When I was growing up, my cousins and I would gather around my Uncle Walt and he would show us his scars where four German bullets entered and three came back out – grim souvenirs of his service in the European theater.

I was too stupid to say thank you as a kid but as I got older and realized the pain and fear he must have gone through on the battlefield I made it a point to call my Uncle Walt each Veteran’s Day just to thank him. He’s since passed away so let me direct my thanks to all those who served.

In this issue, we have the first of a three-part installment on the modern western-horror comic in About Comics.  Aristotle to Digital weighs in the pronouncement by Elon Musk that artificial intelligence is a demon waiting for us to lose control. Common Cents discusses the ideas of comparative advantage in the work place and beyond. And in our final column, Under the Hood presents a fairly novel way of teaching about abstract vector spaces using Fourier series in wxMaxima.

Enjoy.