Punk Mathematics
By:
August 19, 2010
Tom Henderson of the podcast Math for Primates is pitching a fun project via Kickstarter. He’s writing a book titled Punk Mathematics. (“Punk identifies problems. Math solves problems. In both, you believe nothing until you’ve proven it for yourself. But there’s more: Punk [like math] encourages everyone, no matter their talent level, to make noisy mistakes in public.”) He promises:
Punk Mathematics will be a series of mathematical stories. It is written for readers who are interested in having their minds expanded by the strange metaphors and implications of mathematics, even if they’re not always on friendly terms with equations. Better living through probability; the fractal dimension of cities and cancers; using orders of magnitude to detect bullshit; free will and quantum economics; and the mathematics of cooperation in a networked world on the brink of a No Future collapse.
He also promises: “Swearing. Lots of swearing.”
Henderson knows his audience! He asked for $2,400.00 — and he’s already raised over $8,800.00, with 13 days to go.