Pi a la mode

from south dakota

Our Friday afternoon meeting was over, a poll question had been set, but as we were walking out, someone asked “What if we were to include pi (3.14) in our weekend question asking our readers’ favorite pie?”
Perfect. Not only are we big fans of math humor (when have you ever seen those two words used in the same sentence), but we had long been looking for a way to tap into that elusive, coveted demographic: geometry teachers.
And, despite its potential obscurity, we have been pleasantly surprised by pi’s showing in the race. Despite still trailing the field, it has more respectable John McCain-type numbers as opposed to Dennis Kucinich-type results. The tally as of 3 p.m. Monday:
Apple (523 Votes, 22%)Cherry (310 Votes, 13%)Lemon meringue (358 Votes, 15%)Pecan (482 Votes, 21%)Pumpkin (425 Votes, 18%)3.14 (249 Votes, 11%)

Way to go PI!!!!!

Used to be a cool guy, but now he is a geezer!

Paul Soglin was once mayor of Wisconsin, some 35 years ago....I think he may have turned into a geezer!Suggesting bicyclists who venture out in winter storms be taken out and shot may not win friends in the two-wheeled world, but the modest proposal is a hit on the Internet.That wasn 't former Madison Mayor Paul Soglin 's main intent when he slipped the suggestion -- which he insists was meant to be subtle and ironic and topical -- into his blog, http://www.madison.com/toolbox/%22http://www.waxingamerica.com/%22. But it has opened a car door of insults onto a coasting commentary."Some people have no sense of humor, " he said Thursday, as the number of hits on the blog, and on him, continued to climb.Links to the blog, which Soglin shares with UW-Madison telecommunications professor Barry Orton, were passed around the country and soon the response list was replete with insightful and inciteful commentary.Winter bicyclists from the Yukon were pedaling their insults in response to Soglin 's relatively brief Wednesday commentary: "Bicycling Madison Style: As Dumb as it Gets. ""I was driving home Tuesday at a snail 's pace, and there were these lunatics out there riding their bikes in a snowstorm, which they had been doing over the weekend as well, " Soglin said Thursday."So there was a new five inches of snow on top of the ruts and ice we already had on the streets, and it was the middle of rush hour. And (the bicyclists) were all over the road, not to mention the guy who was on a moped, " he said."As a bicyclist myself, I hold us to higher standards than that. We are supposed to be more rational, more sane, smarter and better looking, " he said.In writing the storm-bikers should be "taken out and shot, " however, he used a phrase he thought would be familiar to the blog 's usual readers.The comment was an oblique reference to a similar comment posted facetiously by a teacher on another blog in mock praise of the Columbine shooters. The suburban Milwaukee teacher was arrested, but Washington County officials said this week he would not be prosecuted.But some in the bicycling community, especially those who bicycle during the winter, were incensed at Soglin 's remark."Fat, grumpy, intolerant ex-mayors ought to be shot. Get some exercise, ------- " was one, posted by "cyclomaniac. ""Maybe I was too subtle, " Soglin mused."There is a certain artistry to writing a post for a blog, and I had carefully woven in (self-effacing) references to calcified hippies, ' and then ... I thought this would be a subtle way of linking together all of us in the cheddarsphere ' who follow Wisconsin news and politics. "Orton thought Soglin was sort of asking for it."Paul deliberately put should be shot ' to echo that controversy, but not overtly, " Orton said. "Looking at it in straight print, it doesn 't always work so well."At the same time, he had a valid point. There are bikers who, in the middle of a storm, take it as a personal challenge to see if they can do it. The problem comes when bikers make that magic transition from biker to invisible being. "Many of the comments were impolite, some profane, and a few seriously discussed winter bicycling. Some savvy bloggers suggested the comment was "link-bait, " and the traffic was up, Orton confirmed. There were 1,600 hits by noon Thursday.A local bicycle listserve not only carried sarcastic reactions to Soglin 's comments but also a discussion on equipment for riding a bicycle in winter. (Tungsten carbide studded tires were recommended.)Soglin, who has defended himself online in a light-hearted, sometimes caustic fashion, notes he has consistently stuck up for bicyclists ' road rights and frequently tweaks the authorities if bicycling conditions are not addressed."As a bicyclist, I felt I had a responsibility to say something (about the snowstorm bikers). That 's probably why they are so upset, because it is coming from another biker. "By mid-day Thursday, Soglin sounded as if he was tiring of the controversy."If these nitwits don 't leave me alone, I 'm going to go after the trail bike riders next, " he threatened, subtly.