Robert A. Black, Mathematical Storyteller

I'm pretty sure this is the only time I'll ever quote Playboy magazine, so don't miss it. The January 1985 issue included an essay by James Baldwin, " Here Be Dragons ," in which he explored issues of sexuality and gender identity (decades before the current interest in non-binary identification) and related them to his own experiences. (If you want to check out the essay, please be aware that it contains pretty frank descriptions of adult situations. It was in Playboy , after all.) What struck me most was his assessment of what it means to be an American man: "The American ideal, then, of sexuality appears to be rooted in the American ideal of masculinity. This ideal has created cowboys and Indians, good guys and bad guys, punks and studs, tough guys and softies, butch and faggot, black and white. It is an ideal so paralytically infantile that it is virtually forbidden -- as an unpatriotic act -- that the American boy evolve into the complexity of ...

Channel Islands Restoration sent me a checklist of things I'll need on San Nicolas Island. It had a few surprises on it. Looks like I'll be making a few purchases before I go. But at least then I'll have the stuff for next time. They also sent along a set of rules for visiting the island. One of them really stood out. So no Kaepernicking. Well, it is a Navy base, after all. But then there was also this one. That was a heavier blow. I always take my camera with me when I go into the wilds, and on this trip I especially wanted to record as much as I could about the experience. At first, I thought about appealing to the organizers. I'm a children's author! I'm not interested in pictures of military secrets! How are pictures of plants and foxes going to jeopardize national security? But then I decided that would be acting a little too spoiled, so I will just make do without this time. There are restoration projects on islands that aren...

When the Trumpocalypse gets to be too much, when climate change seems beyond all hope, and when it seems like people of color can't do anything at all without drawing excessive police attention, it's good to get a reminder of why we keep on persevering. I felt the same way last year , when I first did the Career Fair at Monte Vista Middle School. This year, it was renamed the "Community Interest Fair," and included groups like the local high school's German club. It also moved to the Camarillo Community Center, where we wouldn't get chased off by the basketball team wanting to practice afterwards. Last year, I brought my books with me, but ended up talking about being a Quality Manager as well. This year, I decided to present both careers side by side. When I left the office that afternoon, I packed up my trusty calipers, one of our ASME stamps and some failed parts I keep in a "rogue's gallery" on my desk. I also got a display table a...

A lot of shocking and unexpected things have happened during the Trumpocalypse, but there's one that's especially surprising to me, one that will also surprise most people who know me. The Trumpocalypse has significantly dampened my interest in space exploration. Not killed it completely. I still follow the Opportunity and Curiosity rovers, and I'm looking forward to the new InSight Mars Lander and the New Horizons flyby of "Ultima Thule." The Chinese attempt to land on the far side of the moon should be exciting, too. But it all feels so secondary to me now. A while back, I heard the Planetary Society's Director of Space Policy say it was a good time to pitch new space missions because Donald Trump likes big, impressive things he can brag about. To me, the idea of NASA being there just to satisfy some narcissist's ego cheapens the whole experience. But what's worse is the threat Trump and his minions are posing to the entire world, through ...