M E M O R Y L E S S N E S S

Question: There is a zombie outbreak in Richmond. The zombie population can be modeled as a linear growth birth death process. Each zombie independently reproduces at a rate of λ = 2/hour and is killed by resourceful Virginians at a rate of μ = 0.5/hour. If the population started with a pack of two zombies, find the average size of the zombie population after 24 hours.

Answer: The average size of the population can be modeled using a linear growth birth death process. Let Ei denote the expected size of the zombie population after 24 hours given that there are initially i zombies. Then Ei = i * E1.

The expected size of the zombie population is given by

Ei = ie^((λ-μ)t) = 2*e^36 after t=24 hours. That is a lot of zombies!

Math is cool. There are some assumptions that go into this solution that are addressed in her post.

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2012-5-6)

Wed, 09 May 2012 19:40:48 -0500

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2012-5-6):

Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz

Optimal Shoelacing This [lacing shoes] is of course an instance...

Wed, 02 May 2012 19:43:57 -0500

Optimal Shoelacing

This [lacing shoes] is of course an instance of a Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP). Each lace hole represents a city which can be visited exactly once. For example, the slack is maximized by finding the shortest tour, while the slack can be minimized by finding the longest Hamiltonian circuit. Of course, my daughter would prefer finding a good balance between these two extreme solutions, while also ensuring that tightening and loosening the laces are relatively easy to perform. The former objective can be equivalently specified in terms of minimizing deviation from a desired tour length, while the latter requirement can perhaps be approximated by eliminating unfavorable connection patterns and reducing overall friction.

Why B-Schools Should Teach Business Intelligence

Wed, 02 May 2012 18:51:07 -0500

Why B-Schools Should Teach Business Intelligence:

To succeed in business, one needs to be smart—really smart—but business intelligence (BI) is not measured by college degrees. BI is about quickly making sense of the vast amounts of data collected about all dimensions of a business, and then making sound decisions that will generate value for the company. For business schools, it’s also a big opportunity, one that is, by and large, being missed.

expose-the-light: Sun’s Twin Discovered — the Perfect SETI...

Tue, 01 May 2012 18:52:59 -0500

expose-the-light:

Sun’s Twin Discovered — the Perfect SETI Target?

There are 10 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy that are the same size as our sun. Therefore it should come as no surprise that astronomers have identified a clone to our sun lying only 200 light-years away.

Still, it is fascinating to imagine a yellow dwarf that is exactly the same mass, temperature and chemical composition as our nearest star. In a recent paper reporting on observations of the star — called HP 56948 — astronomer Jorge Melendez of the University of San Paulo, Brazil, calls it “the best solar twin known to date.”

Keep on reading

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2012-4-29)

Tue, 01 May 2012 17:25:43 -0500

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2012-4-29):

Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz

NYU Stern announces new Masters in Business Analytics

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 19:43:11 -0500

NYU Stern announces new Masters in Business Analytics:

New York University Stern School of Business has announced a new Master of Science in Business Analytics that will be offered in Shanghai and at the School’s Washington Square campus beginning May 2013.

The MS in Business Analytics will be the first degree program to be offered at NYU’s downtown Shanghai campus, effectively launching the University’s granting of degrees in China. Moreover, the MS in Business Analytics is the first accredited graduate level program in Business Analytics to be offered by a leading business school. The new discipline, which stands at the intersection of business and technology, leverages the use of data as a strategic business asset and decision-making tool.

(via Analytics magazine)

Always label your axes (via Math Fail)

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 18:52:06 -0500

Always label your axes

(via Math Fail)

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2012-4-22)

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:10:23 -0500

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2012-4-22):

Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz

An Offer You Can’t Refuse: Leadership Lessons From...

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 20:03:21 -0500

An Offer You Can’t Refuse: Leadership Lessons From “The Godfather”:

What does a real-life CEO have in common with the central figures of a fictitious Mafia crime family in The Godfather? According to Justin Moore, CEO and founder of Axcient, plenty.

(via FastCompany)

xombiedirge: Batman Physics by Shahed Syed

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 19:35:36 -0500

xombiedirge:

Batman Physics by Shahed Syed

I am the arm, and I sound like this. Fantômas - “Twin...

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 19:05:00 -0500

I am the arm, and I sound like this.

Fantômas - “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me” from The Director’s Cut

“You Could Prosper in the Field of Wacky Inventions”...

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:21:27 -0500

“You Could Prosper in the Field of Wacky Inventions” - a fortune I got recently

Steve with Kane Hodder / Steve with Lisa Wilcox, 03/08/08 Here I...

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:12:01 -0500

Steve with Kane Hodder

Steve with Lisa Wilcox

Steve with Kane Hodder / Steve with Lisa Wilcox, 03/08/08

Here I am with Kane Hodder, who starred as Jason Voorhees in Friday the 13th parts VII-IX and Jason X and as Victor Crowley in Hatchet and Hatchet II, and with Lisa Wilcox, who starred as Alice in A Nightmare on Elm Street parts 4 and 5. These was taken at Texas Fear Fest 2 in 2008.

Steve with Robert Englund, 03/08/08 Here I am with Robert...

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 18:46:00 -0500

Me with Robert Englund

"Freddy" by Robert Englund

Steve with Robert Englund, 03/08/08

Here I am with Robert Englund. This was taken at Texas Fear Fest 2 in 2008. I had never posted these on here, so here they are. More old horror convention pictures coming soon.

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2012-4-15)

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 23:25:19 -0500

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2012-4-15):

Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz