Museletter the Ninety-ninth

There was a meme going around for a while mocking Vice President Kamala Harris because she said she loved Venn diagrams — you know, those graphics with overlapping circles. But you know what? I love Venn diagrams, too! They're an amazing way to think about the world because they force us to stop thinking about differences and start considering similarities.

But Venn diagrams are cool for other reasons, too. When you overlap two circles, you create a shape that has been used for millenia as a symbol of both divinity and feminine power. The shape (technically a "biconvex lens") is often called vesica piscis ("fish bladder") or mandorla ("little almond"). We see it in everything from the ichthys (also called the "Jesus fish") to Church architecture to ancient symbols of fertility and the vulva.

Here are a few other fun vesica piscis facts:

• In geometry, the shape of the circle outside the lens (like a ball with a bite cut out) is called a "lune" — from the Latin for "moon."
• The ratio of the height to the width of a mandorla is the square root of 3… about 1.73… which is also the length of the diagonal in a cube (from one corner to the opposite)…?and which is also an infinitely long, irrational number (just like pi).
• If you overlap three circles equally, the shape in the middle is called a Reuleaux triangle — and it has an amazing property: it has a constant width as it rotates, just like a circle! (Which means, yes, you can make Reuleaux-triangle shaped wheels. Look it up!)

Did Someone Mention Pi?

This week we once again celebrate π Day (because in North America we write March 14 as 3/14). I can't let the opportunity pass without pointing out:

• The pi day of the century is always 3/14/15… It's interesting to note that in the 20th century, on 3/14/1915, humankind knew only 527 digits of pi. (Well, 707 were published, but it turns out that only 527 were actually correct.) A hundred years later, on 3/14/2015, we knew over 12 trillion (that's 12,000,000,000,000) correct digits… Today we know over eight times more than that…?
• …and yet this number is still as mysterious as it has always been. The numbers are apparently completely "random," as no one has ever shown there to be a pattern (even in other bases, such as binary or hexadecimal).
• For everyone outside North America, you're going to have to wait until July 22 — because 22/7 is a reasonably good approximation for pi (though not nearly as good as 355/113).

Feeling Cranky

Just gotta get these off my chest… things that make me grind my teeth and want to throw stuff:

On Driving:

• Bad human: Consistently driving 5 miles an hour below the speed limit on a one-lane highway.
• Special place in hell: Drive below the speed limit, speed up when there's a passing lane so people can't get by you, and then slow down again when the road returns to a single lane.

On behavior:

• Bad human: Watching a video on your phone in a public place without headphones or earbuds (so everyone can hear).
• Special place in hell: Doing this while playing a video game.

On art:

• Bad art: Book or movie in which nothing and no one really changes for the better.
• Special place in hell: Book or movie in which everything and everyone stays the same or gets worse, without any sense of hope that it could get better.

My Pronouns

I recently filled out a form at a doctor's office that asked for my pronouns.?Personally, I don't have a problem with people declaring their own pronouns, though I have to admit I still have a hard time getting my brain to wrap around the "singular they." (Yes, I know the arguments for it; I'm just saying it's easier for me to break the "rules" of gender than the rules of grammar!)

Anyway, there I was in the doctor's office, filling out this form, and I found myself really wanting to write "us/we/our"… mostly just to freak them out. But, then I thought: hey, if we're all in this together, shouldn't we talk that way?

Thank You

I enjoy sharing my musings… and I enjoy hearing yours! Please share this newsletter with a friend,?follow me on LinkedIn, and send me feedback. You can always reach me at [email protected]