My lovely wife got me a DjuiinoStar Spinning Top: Long Lasting (5-8 Minutes), with Glass Base (Diameter: 3.15"; Focal Length: -30cm; Edge Polished) For Christmas. It has some marvelous instructions!

Not quite an infinite loop, but these instructions do leave you in a strange place.

I read a paper: The nature of the last universal common ancestor and its impact on the early earth system

I found a set of linked list coding problems I’d never seen before.

The document is titled Linked List Problems, written and copyright by Nick Parlante, dated 2002. Apparently Linked List Problems is part of the Stanford CS Education Library, which looks to date to around the end of the 20th Century.

I bought a couple of 10mm cubes, one of Nickel, one of Cobalt, because I read that cobalt and nickel are ferromagnetic, strongly attracted to magnets. I could not distinguish the two cubes based on density. I’m documenting my effort to distinguish them based on magnetic attraction.

My son, Everett, helped me with experiment design and execution.

Found a puzzle on the notorious Futility Closet web site.

Here’s Futility Closet’s puzzle. Mr or Ms Closet decided to call the puzzle “Gun Control”. I don’t know if they chose the title to skirt controversy or something.

Problem Statement

Marksman A hits a certain small target 75 percent of the time. Marksman B hits it 25 percent of the time. The two of them aim at that target and fire simultaneously. One bullet hits it. What’s the probability that it came from A?

Another big peppernut haul! This is a 6 cup of flour, full recipe.

Previously:

• 2023 peppernut haul
• 2022 and 2021 peppernut haul

Previous:

• Q1 2024 Winnings
• Q2 2024 Winnings

I missed posting about 2024 3rd Quarter Winnings, so I’m including it in my year-end lottery wrap up.

I was helping clean the laundry room. I found this weird little certificate of conformity from a pack of KN95 face masks.