Case of the Nutty Blond

No, it's not mine. Mine is not anywhere near as cool as this one. If you will divert your attention to the left of the screen to the links, you may notice that I have added a new site: www.simpsonsmath.com.

Yes, I admit, I love The Simpsons. Some may think that the closest thing to heresy, but I simply say that those people are not cultured enough to appreciate Simpsons. Yes, on the surface they appear crude representations of American middle-class, with little respect for the upper- or lower- and in-between classes, for that matter. But there is a line that the writers of The Simpsons do seem to respect, and even though they run up to that line and dance around it, things like family values (Homer never cheats on Marge) and sincere faith (of both Flanders and Lisa, for example) are never ridiculed. Rather, it is the idiosyncrasies of society that are brought to life, highlighted, and made fun of. Other times it is things that are genuinely funny and we need to pay attention to; like math.

I watch it again and again for the social commentary, the little bits of hidden truths, and the many levels of humor. Anyone can write potty or sex humor, but seriously how many shows do you know that have mathematicians writing math jokes into a series?! That is totally awesome. Sometimes people get it and sometimes they don't, but the point is that they write math jokes!! My favorite part of Simpsonsmath.com is the list of mathematical references in every episode, from confusing pi with pie to exposing the Scarecrow to the derivative of r^3 (which is awesome!!! If you know calculus you seriously need to check that one out!). I think that it is great to explore the delightful and humorous even in math, and I am so geeked out about it I just have to share it! Enjoy!!