Blog Posts

What happens if I try to put a formula in Markdown? Does this work? Let me see. Oh, dear. My first try did not look so good. But this looks OK… $$x = {-b \pm \sqrt{b^2-4ac} \over 2a}$$ You need to put a link to MathJax JavaScript into your head. That sounds funny, doesn’t it. “Into your head.” And you need double dollar signs, not just single dollar signs. Like this… ... Read more …

Seen about town today… Not 100% certain, but I’m pretty sure the guy I passed on the sidewalk with the Meerschaum pipe had it filled with weed.

I attended Wolfram’s “Building a Data Science Pipeline” webinar today, presented by Abrita Chakravarty. Here’s the diagram of the pipeline presented. Pretty conventional. (Image copyright Wolfram Research) The primary example used was a simple recipe classification project: classifying list of ingredients in the pantry by cuisine type to determine which recipes might work with what is on hand. (Yes, a little forced, I know.) Chakravarty walked through importing data (in JSON format), doing a little tidying up, partitioning the data into training and testing sets, running a few iterations of training, testing, and interpreting results. ... Read more …

Seen about town today… Sixteen kids on bicycles, loaded with gear. “Where are you headed?” I asked. “Montréal.” “And when do you get there?” “Next Tuesday.” Also: Three car fender-bender on Main, between University and Prospect.

On Pine, between Main and College, a fellow had a frame or armature of some sort laid out on the ground. At first I thought he might be making a kayak or skiff, but I noticed it had a single wheel mounted at one end. Then I saw another piece standing up behind him. “What are you making?” I asked. “My home.” he answered. Then after a moment, he added “It will be a small home. ... Read more …

Seen about town today… A wee child, less than two, having the most expertly executed flailing temper-tantrum I have ever witnessed, right on the lawn of City Hall Park. A group of turkey vultures, feeding on a large carcass (deer?) about 50 to 60 meters from the road. A tour guide at UVM saying “There’s like lots of opportunities for UVM students here. Like really good opportunities. Like there’s a shuttle bus to campus if you don’t feel like walking. ... Read more …

Overheard on Church Street today… Two homeless men watching people walk by. A woman had a Bichon Frise on a leash. A: “Look there! That lady got a lamb!” B: “That’s a dog, dumbshit.” A: “Looks like a lamb to me.” B: “It’s got sharp teeth.” A: “Then it’s a lamb with sharp teeth. HEY LADY YOU GOT A LAMB WITH SHARP TEETH, HUH?” A block farther north, I encountered two men wearing matching blue, tropical motif shorts. ... Read more …

Seen about town today… A car with North Dakota plates A cottonwood tree about four feet tall, growing out of the pavement Two young women furiously making out in a parked car A man trying to hold very still, taking a photo of a baby rabbit frozen on the grass, while his dog strained at the leash

Seen about town today… Gentlemen pitching pennies on Main Street A very new-looking, upscale pickup truck with a roof-mounted Domino’s sign, A fellow wearing a banana hammock doing jumping jacks in front of a picture window, A house with twenty US flags out front, all ready for Independence Day, A lawn sign reading “Keep off grass until dry” (it’s rained every day for a fortnight).

Seen about town today… A man walking around with an orange tabby cat perched on his shoulder like a parrot (if you live in Burlington you probably know who I’m talking about) A man pushing a woman in a shopping cart