Linkage

First code of conduct for a TCS conference (via). I think this is a move in the right direction.

Lattices with exponentially large kissing numbers (G+). Gil Kalai describes a new preprint by Serge Vlăduţ.

Earthmover distance, and why it might be relevant for gerrymandering-related computations.

UK academics reach the third week of a general strike over significant reduction in their retirement packages, while the universities simultaneously call off negotiations and ask strikers to return to work while negotiations continue.

A regiment of monstrous functions (G+). Real-valued functions, even the ones defined by simple formulas, can behave badly.

Sir Robin (G+). A new and not-enormous spaceship in Conway’s Game of Life that moves in the direction of a chess Knight at speed \(c/6\). With later in-depth discussion of how it was found, and bonus unsolved problem in graph theory (on graphs in which each edge belongs to a unique triangle and each non-edge is the diagonal of a unique 4-cycle), potentially within reach of computation.

The Erdős paradox: When a mathematical number and Wikipedia collide (via). Interview with Kirsten Menger-Anderson on how (in an essay I linked earlier) she was led from Erdős numbers to missing women mathematicians on Wikipedia.

The rulers of the empire of the east try lipograms as a mass cultural word game. Because somehow that makes it harder to protest the removal of term limits.

Turning surface meshes in 3d into instructions for an automatic knitting machine (via, via). You would think that a tea cozy for the Utah teapot would make a good test case, but no, they knitted the Stanford bunny instead.

Chalkdust Issue 7. This British recreational mathematics magazine features articles on a set-theoretic road-trip game, the classic nine dots puzzle and its extensions, a Menger spongecake recipe, and more.

Sequence 300k for the OEIS (G+). Beyond this milestone, the linked post includes some details about four nice new sequences.

Beall’s list of predatory journals, resurrected (G+). With some discussion of IJCGA spam in the G+ post.