We have mostly been...
What did you get up to at the weekend?
Enjoying – a talk given by linguist David Crystal and his son, actor Ben Crystal all about language and accents. I've seen David Crystal a few times before and he's always fascinating to hear, really entertaining and he makes language and linguistics incredibly clear and informative. This session was part of the Bath Literature Festival which takes place all this week in and around Bath city centre and we've got tickets for a few different things along the way.
Learning – all about the mathematics of the Simpsons. This was another Bath Lit Fest talk, one given by Simon Singh who's done extensive research (i.e. watching DVDs) into why so many mathematical conundrums appear in the show. To be honest, I haven't watched much of the Simpsons for several years now but it was still really interesting and I never knew that the majority of the scriptwriters on the show were mathematicians (hence the amount of stuff in there). Simon Singh even showed that at one point (and I think it was Homer), they manage to almost predict the mass of the Higgs Boson, about 14 years before the mass was actually worked out. Next time I watch an episode I'll be looking out for all the figures and equations!
Collecting – some books from the library, including the next one for the Blogger Book Club, The Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan.
What did you get up to at the weekend?
That looks like a really lovely place where it was held with the chandeliers (and whatever the plaster work is called!), I have heard that Bath is a really nice place but I have never been. Never realised that there were mathematics involved in The Simpsons, I just thought it was a cartoon so I will pay more attention to it next time :) xx
ReplyDeleteNever knew that about the Simpsons either! Can't say I've noticed it much but I guess I will now!
ReplyDeleteWoah! That's really interesting about the Simpsons- I had no idea (and go Homer!).
ReplyDeleteI spent most of this weekend watching Gilmore Girls and eating carbs to mend a broken heart. I did some nice things too though, including having tea with a new friend and selling lots of stuff at a car boot (always cathartic :) ) xxx
That mathematics of the Simpsons sounds interesting - who knew it was so deep haha?
ReplyDeleteLizzie Dripping
Sounds like a very intellectual week! I love the sound of a literature festival, there's never much like that up my end of the country :P
ReplyDeletexo