for those mathematically inclined

(well, those with a calculator and too much free time, anyway :)

Just noticed something

have a look at the multiples of 125²/7² (15625/49), especially 10x, 20x, 30x... as the phenomenon is a little more noticeable.

Except for the first two, each two digits (allowing for 100's carryovers on occasion) is a double of the previous.

How cool is that? Found it while trying to figure out how far bullets fired into the air can travel, after reading an oddball news report.

Composite noticeboard entry

7/1/03
ABC's offbeat news section. Well worth a read.

5/2/03
A US person who's lived in Pakistan for many years writes one of the most interesting articles I've seen in a while with a unique insight into both mindsets, coming out with a plea for peace, love and tolerance under the banner of God instead of the diatribe being released by the US government.

Also a more general article which was also interesting.

7/2/03
All these AFIO newsletters are good reading, but this one in particular grabbed my attention:

Memorable quote:

A listing of some two dozen alleged al-Qaeda operatives and financiers' names compiled by Justice and Treasury officials was passed to Saudi Arabian authorities with a request that the bank accounts of the individuals be frozen. The Saudis, when they stopped laughing, told the US the list amounted to a bunch of nicknames, Arabic versions of mobster handles such as "Vinny the Chin."

7/2/03
re - Emergency calls (in particular people phoning 000 after the Waterfall train crash near Sydney) (ABC)

11/2/03
news article re: falsity of Iraq dossier (Channel 4 article) - Only a matter of time before we find out about the Powell one, I guess.

(update) BBC article as well.

13/2/03
The Mt Stromlo Observatory, a critical component of our national science program, was destroyed in the Canberra fires recently. The admin buildings survived as did most of the data - but they need our help to rebuild the rest.