Girls Are Geeks

Fun Thing Friday: Valentine’s Giveaway!!

Girls Are Geeks — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:31:11 +0000

I’m always looking for fun things on the internet, and this week, one came to me! Fortunately, it showed up from one of my favorite, artistically talented Etsy buddies, who we’ve featured before: Bohemian Bear. Even better: for Valentine’s Day she’s going to give stuff away to one lucky commenter!

Keep reading to find out how to win!

The fun thing for today are geeky Valentine’s from her Etsy Bohemian Bear Paper Craft shop. I mean, isn’t it more fun to tell your significant other, or even just your best friend, that you love them with a little geek flair? As a girl who was proposed to with the One Ring to Rule Them All, I thing that a little geek is definitely what V-Day needs (and maybe a little less gushy love stuff, but that’s just IMO).

Still, these cards are perfect for giving out to friends, loved ones, and best office mates. One option is above. Take a look at the other two.

So, here’s how the contest goes. You can earn entries by:

1. Commenting here with a brief story about geek love. It can be your story or someone else’s.

2. Tweeting with a link to this here contest post and an @girlsaregeeks (so I know to count you!)

You can enter until the end of the day next Thursday, February 2nd, and I’ll randomly pick a winner Friday morning. Then you can choose one of the three sets we’ve pictured with enough time to give them out and have the geekiest Valentine’s Day ever!

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Mathematical Monday: Numeric Crossword

Girls Are Geeks — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:02:34 +0000

I’m a math person. I like numbers and logic. I don’t so much like words. Thus, I’m not so great at crossword puzzles. I keep trying, but really, I just get stuck a lot. However, I was reading GeekDad (as I often do!) a couple of weeks ago and I found the coolest thing there: a numeric crossword.

Usually in puzzle books, the "number crosswords" are just fill in the blanks with numbers making them logic puzzles, but not math puzzles. This one uses actual clues about math to have you fill in the numbers. I love it! You should all go check it out.

I also scoured a bit further on the internets and found some other similar puzzles here. Now, us math people can do crosswords, too. When are they going to add these to the New York Times?

Timewaster Tuesday: Ticket to Ride

Girls Are Geeks — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 21:21:15 +0000

I like trains. Especially old fashioned steam engines. I like to ride the Walt Disney World Railroad around and around the Magic Kingdom. I also remember the days when we used to visit Pennsylvania and took the train to Paradise. So, given the opportunity to play Ticket to Ride, i was pretty excited because it’s all about trains.

Thanks to Kelly on flickr for the photo!

Specifically, Ticket to Ride is about creating train lines that crisscross the country, and to earn points doing so. You earn points by placing trains, especially longer trains, and by completing routes from one place to another. You place trains by gathering train cards of matching colors. It starts out a little complicated, but the system is actually pretty easy once you play a few rounds.

It was pretty easy to understand, but the strategy definitely takes a little work. I should know; I came in last place! Since there are multiple ways to earn points, you have to consider whether it is better to wait and build a longer train or place many small trains. Also, since you have to complete a certain route, you need to be sure that no one takes the locations you need.

There is also an element of luck due to the fact that you draw colored train cards to be able to place trains. If the right colors come up, then you can place more easily. There is very little player vs player direct issues, although if someone is watching where you place your routes, they might try to block you. That may also be a good strategy for someone who’s going to lose, just start blocking everyone else.

What I liked about this game was that it was easy to pick up, it had a good combination of strategy and luck, and there were lots of physical pieces to play with since you have a ton of train cars to place on the board. I’m kinesthetic; I like to pick things up and move them. It was also a good length. What I didn’t like about the game was that it has a very slow start while people are building up their hands with cards where nothing happens. Once it gets moving, though, it’s fun.

So, give this one a try with both geeks and non-geeks. I think it’s a good crossover game. Also, if you get tired of the USA, there are expansions!

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Math Monday: QED

Girls Are Geeks — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:17:22 +0000

I don’t remember too much about geometry in high school. I was already a math nerd, and my teacher was so slow and boring that I developed an addiction to altoids trying to stay awake in her class. However, I do remember doing lots and lots of proofs. You know, those things with steps where you want to show unequivically that some mathematical statement is true. My favorites were always like “Show angle A is equal to angle C”.

I actually liked proofs. Maybe it was because they were super logical and stepwise (perfect for someone who’s almost OCD). However, my favorite bit was right at the end when you made the final statement of “Angle A is, in fact, equal to angle C” you said QED.

QED stands for quod erat demonstrandum, which translates to something along the lines of what was to be proved. It makes sense in the context of proof.

For example, a classic: Show women = evil.

women need time and money: women = time x money

time is money: time = money

women = money^2

money is the root of all evil: money^2 = evil

QED women = evil

It’s probably my favorite mathematical thing to use in daily life. Whenever I finish a series of complete logical explanation as to why whatever I said is correct, I always tag it with QED.

My family is not amused. However, you should start doing it anyway. We can make it a thing.

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Away in a … Penny Arcade?

Girls Are Geeks — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 23:59:48 +0000

Hey! You might have noticed that we’re on the front page of Penny Arcade with a display that is not for the faint of heart (nor is it safe for work, small children, or anyone who truly treasures the Biblical meaning of Christmas).

I just want to throw a huge shout-out to my husband Billy who really was the demented visionary, designer, and perfectionist in making sure that the details were correct. He cut out the majority of the … ahem, figures (including the amazing camel!) and did a lot of the painting.

I was the master of the dough (which is gluten-free if anyone wants the recipe) and Dawn helped with overall presentation and additional detail work.

Yeah, we’re a little nuts, but we are well planned, creative nuts!

Merry Christmas all!

Fun Thing Friday: Enterprise Noise

Girls Are Geeks — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 11:29:18 +0000

I’m a pretty hard-core Trekkie. I’ve watched all the series (though not as much Enterprise), love the movies, own the books and some actions figures, wrote my own TNG script, have the biggest crush ever on Wil Wheaton … you know, the usual stuff. Therefore, when the husband discovered this on the internet, I thought it was amazing!

This is ambient engine noise of the Enterprise NCC-1701D. Now, you can make your whole room/house etc. feel like you are hanging out on the Enterprise, in space. I would love to hook that up all the time, but at least I’m planning it for my next party!

Here, check this awesomeness out:

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Mathematical Monday: Math Advent Calendar

Girls Are Geeks — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 21:49:50 +0000

Advent is a time for many things: Christmas carols, decorations, and advent calendars. These things do not forget about the geeks, as I’ve already seen the Lego advent calendar and numerous Star Wars decorations at Think Geek. However, browsing the internets last week, I found the key item for a geeky advent: a math-oriented online advent calendar.

As you can see, it’s set up like a typical advent calendar with doors you can open for each day. However, before each door is a mathematical thing.

Here are a few of the ones I’ve opened so far.

On the 2nd, there were a series of puzzles including writing the year 2011 using only the numeral 4 in any combination with any mathematical operations (like 44/4 would be 1). I love puzzles.

The third was math in sports. Math can even make sports interesting.

The 4th directs you to a new youtube channel all about numbers!

Anyway, countdown to Christmas with me and all the maths!

Geeky Etsy Find: Zombies in Your Yard!

Girls Are Geeks — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 17:15:58 +0000

Sometimes, as a geek, there is nothing I like better than letting my geek flag fly. I wear geeky clothes, I make geeky references, and I keep a geeky desk at work. However, sometimes you just have to get that geek out in the world, and specifically, out in your yard! Today’s Etsy shop can absolutely help you with that because Doug makes Zombie Garden gnomes.

Zombie Gnomes

What do you make?
We make ZOMBIE GNOMES! Garden Statuary models of gnomes that have been infected by the Zombie virus.

Who are you and/or how did you get started?
I’m a special effects artist thought just got this crazy idea for a side business. So I did the proto-types & they were a huge success. So, I find myself making more gnomes now a days than doing effects work.

What makes your items great for geeks?
They are the Original & Best out there. Sure I’ve been copied recently, but they fail in comparison to our’s. It is just a geeky fun idea to think that a garden gnome is turned into a zombie. Gnomes are already creepy enough, but making them into ZOMBIE GNOMES just puts them over the edge.

What do you geek out about?
Anything Horror or Comic Book related. I love going to Horror Conventions & of course Comicon! It is such fun being in a place full of the stuff I love with like minded people.

It’s quite disturbing to watch undead David crawl out of the ground, but yet, I still want one, even if only to freak out the neighbor’s dog. Christmas list?! Better order soon, these are mostly custom made, but definitely worth it!

Mathematical Monday: Mean and Median

Girls Are Geeks — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:25:24 +0000

Wow, look at all that alliteration! Too bad we don’t have an English day of the week.

Anyway, today I want to talk about the difference between mean and median. I bring this up, because I’m at the point in the semester of college teaching where I’m often comparing grades, exams, and classes among my classes and between my colleagues. Apparently, I’m one of the few people who calculates median and asks others about it. Since even some of my colleagues look at me like I have four heads, I figured you all should be more knowledgeable.

So, the mean of a set of numbers is the average. You add all the numbers and divide by the number of people/objects/etc.

The median is what you find if you line the numbers up from smallest to greatest and find the center.

Keep reading for an example!

Here are two sets of grades

set A: 80 84 75 64 59
set B: 86 84 82 78 32

The mean for both sets is 72.4

However, the median for set A is 75 and for set B is 82. Clearly, one class did overall much better, and their average was just skewed by the one really low grade from the person who never comes to class or does their work. This will also work to eliminate the crazy smart suck-up student who vies for every quarter of a point.

Another example:

set C: 95 85 81 75 72
mean: 81.6
median: 81

set D: 87 84 80 76 56
mean: 76.6
meadian: 80

Here there are two disparate averages, but similar medians. See how that makes more sense to compare.

That’s why I calculate median. I don’t want to judge my classes based on the extremes. Next time your professors/teachers tell you the class average, ask for the median, too. Maybe even the standard deviation. Wait, that’s another post!

Here, have a normal curve, on a bag, from Zazzle. Or buy it for me for Christmas.

Mathematical Monday: Half-Life, no, the other Half-Life

Girls Are Geeks — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 19:32:35 +0000

It is Marie Curie’s birthday today (check out the Google doodle!). If you don’t know, she studied radioactive elements, and, together with her husband Pierre, discovered Polonium and Radium. She was also the first female professor at Sorbonne in Paris.

So, I think we’ll do some radioactive math today, specifically: Half-life. No, not the game. Though the game does have one of the best scientist main characters ever!

The half-life of a radioactive element is the time is takes for 1/2 of whatever is there to decay. So, if there are 200 molecules with a half-life of 10 years, then after 10 years there will be 100 molecules, and after 20 years there will be 50 molecules.

This uranium glass looks awesome under UV light!

Some elements with fun half-lives:

14C (carbon with 2 extra neutrons): 5730 years
We use this for dating because it comes from the atmosphere, so living things start with a known amount, and when they die and are buried, that amount decreases by half every 5730 years.

238U (uranium with 146 neutrons): 4.468 billion years
This is the more stable one, not the one used for weapons/power, and it is naturally occurring. The 235U there is much, much less of. It lasts a long time! This can be used for really old rock dating.

222Rn (radon with 136 neutrons): 3.8 days
Interestingly, this is a break-down product of uranium, so it takes the uranium forever, but once it goes, it goes fast!

Okay. Now that you have some new amusing numbers, one last thing. What happens when you keep dividing something in half? Well, it gets smaller, but it never really goes away, right! It’s almost like a natural paradox. Here’s a graph that illustrates it. See how it never reaches 0!

Crazy. Math is crazy. But I love it!