Fasters's definitions

From Scars to Stars

When you stop dwelling on the wrongs others did to you and decide to forgive them, God wants to free you from any sense of blame, disgrace, or humiliation, and puts on you new labels like “Anointed,” “Valuable,” and “Masterpiece” to bless and reward you that you won’t remember the past injustices done to you.

The life of Joseph, as recounted in the Bible, who was thrown into a pit to die, then sold by his brothers to slavery, and later wrongly accused and imprisoned for not acceding to his boss’s wife’s sexual favors were some of his scars; however, Joseph’s ability to interpret dreams while in prison, his appointment by Pharaoh to rule over Egypt, and rescuing his own brothers from famine were some of his stars. Joseph was someone who went from scars to stars—from pit to prison to palace.

by Fasters July 18, 2022

The Bastardization of Singapore Math

When foreign countries discreetly incorporate the best of the Singapore math curriculum, such as the bar or stack model method, learning experiences, and big ideas, into their own local curriculum, by adopting it as their stepchild, where cross-fertilization of local and foreign ideas occasionally results in an aha! by-product.

Thanks to the bastardization of Singapore math, the US Common Core Math had given birth to a few beautiful methodological and pedagogical offsprings in math education, much to the delight of local math educators who follow closely how their foreign counterparts are creatively adopting some of the problem-solving visualization strategies.

by Fasters July 19, 2022

E-pi-phany

When someone has an aha! reaction about the number π, which is often experienced through a dream, in a shower, or while walking the dog.

Trump confided to his golf buddies that he recently experienced an e-pi-phany, when he woke up in the middle of the night to realize that he’s been duped by some evangelicals in his trusted circle to believe that the true value of π is three—the fake “biblical” value is way off from 22/7, which is a close approximation to its actual value.

by Fasters July 24, 2022

Pi Clock

A normal clock in which the numerals representing the numbers 1 to 12 have been replaced by only three irrational numbers, positioned at π, 2π, and 3π.

What is the acute angle measure when the minute hand of a pi clock points exactly at 2π while the hour hand has moved past 3π—or when the time is slightly past 9:30? Answer: 97.3°.

by Fasters July 30, 2022

Taiwan Math

Often mistaken as “China Math.” Little-known methodologies using 3D abacus and problem-solving strategies or heuristics, and non-Marxist or non-Maoist pedagogies, practiced by local non-drill-and-kill math educators in Taiwan, which are waiting to break free to enlighten the global mathematical community.

The global success of Singapore math has spurred cottage industries in math education like Shanghai Math and Korea Math, which have come and gone quietly. What about Taiwan Math considering that Taiwan is one of the four little dragons besides Hong Kong, South Korea, and Singapore?

by Fasters August 3, 2022

Pitradamus

Short for “Pi Nostradamus.” Someone who not only coins π-related terms and popularizes oft-preposterous π concepts, but also predicts π breakthroughs—or makes bold claims on π hypotheses that could be proved or disproved in a-not-too-distant future.

It’s estimated that there are a dozen-odd pitradamuses or “pi futurists” who are unofficially affiliated with higher institutions of learning worldwide—they work as ghost researchers or ghostwriters for tenured math profs.

by Fasters June 14, 2022

Metamates

What Facebook employees are unofficially being called by fellow geeks, as “the Zuck” shift their attention to the Metaverse or to the world of virtual reality (VR).

Math geeks who are bewitched or mesmerized by what the Metaverse could offer the physical world in coming years or decades have a very high chance of being recruited as Metamates.

by Fasters June 14, 2022