Good company
by Brian Hayes
Published 8 December 2006
Scott Aaronson, at Shtetl-Optimized, blogs:
To those of us who can’t tell a hypotenuse from a rhombus, the phrase “math journalism” sounds like an oxymoron. It brings to mind boring pedants like Martin Gardner, Sara Robinson, and Brian Hayes….
Thanks, Scott! Can I get that on a teeshirt?
Responses from readers:
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Publication history
First publication: 8 December 2006
Converted to Eleventy framework: 22 April 2025
I can’t understand of any intelligent being can write something as dumb and short-sighted as Scott has. I read Scott’s blog from time to time, and I find it quite less interesting than bit-player. Maybe I can tell a hypotenuse from a rhombus… or maybe I am also boring and pedantic.
HTML really needs a <sarcasm> tag. I’m pretty sure that Scott Aaronson was not genuinely praising the BBC’s report on “nullity.” And his jab at Martin Gardner, Sara Robinson and me was also, I think, made with playful intent. I found his comment amusing because — in my case at least — he hit close to the target. I *am* a bit of a boring pedant — and proud of it!