Fasters's definitions

The Pi Diet

A meal that uses no more than three ingredients plus condiments of the same color apparently for pleasing or tasteful appearance.

On Pi Day, Chef Poppy is promoting a special meal he christens “The Pi Diet.”

by Fasters March 4, 2023

Mathematical Shrine

A shelf that displays your math memorabilia (abacuses, slide rules, polygonal stamps, math-related postcards, 3D wooden puzzles, topology toys, …) that are likely to be a topic of conversation as friends and strangers visit your home.

Ian’s mathematical shrine is made up of origami polyhedrons, magic card tricks, Napier’s rods, vintage calculators and clocks, and Lilliputian math books.

by Fasters February 24, 2022

Irrational Parenting

When parents support their children to spend an obscene number of hours memorizing the digits of irrational numbers like √2, π, and e, so that they can out-parrot others in a contest, and win some medals or prizes for their “irrational” feats of memory.

Based on recent newspaper reports, irrational parenting seems to be rising in Singapore, especially among immigrants from India and Burma—the perceived paranoia to make an entry into the Singapore Book of Records has never been so strong among the “human parrots.”

by Fasters November 22, 2022

Feminist Pi

When geeky feminists who endorse the idea that Pi is a female figure argue that the beloved constant π has been taken hostage by chauvinistic male mathematicians and math educators, who are only attracted by her sexy numerical and geometrical properties, while treating other mathematical constants worthy of consideration as second-class citizens.

Feminist pi believers have been waging a theomatical war with literalist evangelicals (who view God as male and insist that the true value of π is the biblical value of 3).

by Fasters November 20, 2022

Pifulness

Also known as “Pi Playfulness.” Having fun and toying around with the number π mentally, artfully, philosophically, poetically, or spiritually.

Pifulness isn’t so much about coming up with a new pi theorem or an elegant proof—unless that’s your thing—but it’s also about exploring and expanding the use of pi beyond mathematics or science.

by Fasters July 3, 2023

X

Pronounced as “ex.” The debatably new “terrible” or “terrifying” name for the formerly known Twitter app, which reminds billions of kids and their parents worldwide of their dreaded years-long school algebra.

Are the days of X numbered, especially when two key rivals are exploring whether or not they’d also be renaming some of their subsidiaries Y and Z to strategically create confusion and chaos on social media?

by Fasters July 25, 2023

Bitcoin

The cryptocurrency of choice among criminals, extortionists, fraudsters, hackers, kidnappers, terrorists, and Ponzi schemers, who have 100% faith in the blockchain technology to avoid getting caught for their crimes.

Guesstimate what percentage of rogue political leaders’, corrupt businesspersons’, and Russian oligarchs’ stolen billions or trillions have been converted into bitcoins to cover up their obscene wealth.

by Fasters April 2, 2022