This is a bit outside the norm, but as I get closer to the 1-year anniversary of my kid’s birth (also known as the first birthday!) I figure maybe it’s a good time to write down the slightly abridged version of her birth story.

Sure, every mom has a birth story for every kid. And who really wants to hear it? Well, other moms or moms-to-be; maybe other folks with an academic or personal interest; and in this case, people dealing with breech birth. My kid’s story is a bit odd and is a little window onto medicine in America today. But if you don’t want to read birth stories, here is your moment to exit! Leave now! It’s not graphic, really. I did say slightly abridged, after all! Continue reading →

Amusing to see my last post — yep, I’ve been working on writing ~every day again, but so much of it is on (gasp!) paper or on my class textbook Math for Finance that it doesn’t show up here. Maybe I could find some whiz-bang app that would update here whenever I publish a new version of the math text.

Last April-May I was quite pregnant, so while teaching and grading were all getting done (and quickly, so that I could have everything wrapped up when maternity leave started at the end of the semester!) there was not quite so much writing up of class notes. I started including a multivariate version of Newton’s method in class last semester, but didn’t rewrite the course notes to include it. This year I’m working on that. (The course I teach at the University of Minnesota covers calculus in one and many variables, probability, a lot of linear algebra, and a touch of differential equations.)

This year I’m also trying to put together some quick Python notebooks illustrating concepts from class. I can’t post them as notebooks here; will try to get them on Github. Here they are!

Right: that’s one reason I’m writing less here. I blog from home; home has a kid; kid is crying. Adios!

Today I spent my writing time on my course notes, Mathematical Preparation for Finance: a Wild Ride through Mathematics. Had to update chapter 6 on continuous random variables, although I added to it theorems that also apply to discrete random variables! Oh well. Markov’s inequality and Chebyshev’s inequality got a bit of space. I also need to update the sections on transformations and convolutions, and add more finance-specific examples that I’ve gathered this year. I’m always learning more and always want to add more, but should probably stop at some point.

Went to the Mia (Minneapolis art museum). Interesting paintings in the special exhibit, though not as thrilling as I rather hoped. I liked the new installation in the contemporary wing, though, the way they got someone to paint all over the walls and then installed art throughout and around the painted walls. Can’t find a link to it but I like the vibrancy of the walls, instead of just having white.

A fun math/science link, in line with my recent interest in order that emerges from randomness/randomness that emerges from rules: Dice become ordered when stirred, not shaken. Basically, gently stir dice and they’ll end up nicely stacked.

Kid crying again 🙂 It’s an 11 pm thing.