Sunday, December 29, 2013

By The Numbers

"The original heuristic argument that such a limit should exist was given by Werner Heisenberg in 1927, after whom it is sometimes named the Heisenberg principle. This ascribes the uncertainty in the measurable quantities to the jolt-like disturbance triggered by the act of observation. Though widely repeated in textbooks, this physical argument is now known to be fundamentally misleading. While the act of measurement does lead to uncertainty, the loss of precision is less than that predicted by Heisenberg's argument; the formal mathematical result remains valid, however." Uncertainty Principle, Wikipedia.

"Two plus two equals four...ish." Greer Math.


My original plan, as an adolescent, was to be an engineer/test pilot/astronaut. Unfortunately, I am math-challenged and I understand all three professions require a lot of number-crunching. Count me out.

But, to quote Jack Swigert*...I can add. This blog will pass 15,000 visits within a week or two, averaging upwards of 1600 hits per month. It began modestly, the first post garnering four visitors, one of which was probably me checking it for spelling and punctuation. Lately, I am disappointed when I only get 45 or 50 visits for any one post. Often, topics I care deeply about are largely ignored by the small but loyal cadre of readers I've developed. Other times I'm deeply moved by the number of FB shares a blog announcement gets. Occasionally, a long string of single visits to a number of older articles tells me I've secured a new guest.

The numbers tell a lot of different stories, but one thing is certain. As 2013 draws to a close I'd like to thank everyone for making this writing endeavor one of the great joys of my professional life. 

2 comments:

  1. It is always a pleasure to join you on your "Train of Thought" Jim.

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  2. Thank you, Judy. You have been such a loyal reader and a wonderful cousin-in-law. I'm so happy you find something to enjoy in this blog.

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