Merry Christmas

And to each and all, have a peaceful holiday season!

Mindbender

My friend across the pond posed the following:

So, being a baby wonk, I constructed a table:

This consists of numbers 1-98, the sum of the digits, that sum * 17 +1. The difference between the result at the first number. This gives the following plot:

As you can see, rather than ever having a zero value, it is monotonically increasing (in a sort of interesting way).

So, I doubt if one can find such a number.
Unless, on simple adds the number of digits as in this table:

Clearly the only number that would fit is 35 since by the time one gets to six digits the sum*17 + 1 is only 103.

I haven't looked at the answer. I'm probably wrong. In which case, I will slink away.

Ah, Ha! The Wizard across the pond shows me up. Of course I didn't extend my calculations beyond 100. If I had, I would have gotten the following graph of the difference:

What appeared from 1 to 99 as a dull, monotonically increasing pattern was part of a bigger pattern going the other way. (I should take it beyond 1000.) 

When the difference is taken gives this graph:

So, I slink away.

The War

With a whimper* we leave Iraq. (Not really. We leave the world's biggest embassy and a coterie of privately contracted security forces.)

For what?

Everyone thought America had responsible adults in charge. God help us.

(*TSE after WWI; refers to Guy Fawkes)

Friday Crab Blogging (late)

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A contribution from across the pond. Cute, but no cigar.

I am not sure that crabs are into minnows for bait, but could be.

Madi constructed a story. Not sure what it is, but knowing Madi, its got to be interesting.

I like this one because of the nose. Sort of Venice Carnival spirit. (By Emma)

This is Dr. C. reacting to the Republican politicians running for President.

A while back we discussed how to tell male and female crabs apart. It has to do with their apron being either the Capitol or the Washington Monument. The males are, as Michalea has indicated (and did so last year), "Jimmeys," and the females are "Sooks." (though the word "sook" apparently means "baby" in Southwest England.).

We are into crabs.

Friday Crab Blogging (late)

 A little like a crab-spider but I'll take it.

 

 If Miss Piggy were a crab...

A rare example of the bat-wing poly pedic crab found only in Transylvanian habitats

Some interesting contributions from those who don't want to draw crabs (and lose points in the process)

How could I resist this one

A Wolf

A School Bus

The Day After

Things slowing down in Crabland. For inexplicable reasons (we've been good but not that good) little damage. Unfortunately, lots of flooding and crabs will be seen in places where crabs have never gone before! There were tornadoes, too. So, we had a HuriQuakeNado week.

Life is like a game of Angry Birds. What do the Birds Gods have in store for us next?

Getting the Beatles Back Together

This from my nephew, a musician.