I woke up this morning thinking about sets. I recently bought the (Canadian) French, (Mexican) Spanish, and German editions of “Dog Man”. This gave me a set of books in languages I can at least make a real effort to read, and the child already has a set of “Dog Man” books in English. Yesterday…
Author: Clio
Scaffolding and Multiplication
There are two basic conceptual ways that multiplication is explained: Repeated addition and the area model. Many people who are adept at multiplication (including teachers) take for granted what many students have trouble connecting; in the case of multiplication, it’s not immediately obvious why repeated addition and the area of a region ought to result…
Long Division
The other day I saw this TikTok by the inimitable Howie Hua: This is a common topic: What is the long division algorithm about anyway? I’ve likely even seen Hua talking about it in the past, but this time, something clicked in my mind. I don’t personally recall struggling with long division. I suppose there…
08.22.23 – A Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing
I’m going to start with a dream I had last night, but it’s not going to be a Dream Post. In fact, I’m going to start with the end of the dream. I was talking to someone that I’d been hanging out with. I was sitting on the concrete curb by a road, and he…
Just a suggestion…
How do you say “suggest”? Think about it for a second. Say it slowly if you want. For best results, say each syllable carefully. Because my brain hurts now. Here’s a Tiktok: My initial reaction was that it’s /sʌ’dʒɛst/, that is, “suh-JEST”, without a hard /g/. Apparently some people are adamant that it’s /sʌg’dʒɛst/, with…
Spock and Chicken
Here’s a TikTok video: It reminded me of this story from my youth. When I was in middle school, the local t-shirt shop was offering a sale. I went there and found a Spock t-shirt that appeared to be my size, so I bought it. I brought it home, tried it on, and discovered it…
The truth about transgender transition and youth
Here is accurate information for you to share with people as needed. Caveat: I am not a medical professional. This is based on my personal research, including talking to other transgender people. I personally have only undergone social transition, as an adult. There are four basic types of transition: Social, and three medical stages. A…
08/09/23 – Phobia
There’s a topic that’s been on my mind that’s causing the rest of my writing to be largely jammed up. Today I’m just going to write about it and hope for the best. Maybe this will open my brain up for the stuff I’d rather write about. I have long had an anxiety about going…
07.17.23 – Pineapple on Pizza
1980. I am 12 years old. 43 years ago. If you’d asked me to check off boxes, I would have said I was heterosexual, cisgender, neurotypical, Christian, and monogamous. For most of those, I wouldn’t have understood the question: My Christianity was grounds for seeing myself as a stranger in a heathen land, and I…
Math: Estimating Roots
A few years ago, I developed a quick algorithm for approximating square roots. I’ve since come across a more effective, albeit slightly more complicated, algorithm. Both of these are meant to create quick approximations in an era where calculators can come up with more precise values far quicker than humans. My first method If you’re…