-
The mountain that weighed the Earth
Suppose you want to find out how much you weigh. It’s easy enough – get a scale, stand on it, and read the number. Now suppose you want to know how much the Earth weighs. You get out a scale and…hmm. What exactly do you do with it? Let’s do a little physics class refresher.…
-
Why the government’s bank account grew 100x since 2007
Have you ever wondered where the government actually keeps its money? Governments usually get tax revenue in bursts, for example when income taxes come due – April 15th here in the US. They then have to spend all that money over the course of the year. So where do they keep their cash in the…
-
Happy Public Domain Day
On January 1st 2026, copyrighted works first published in 1930 entered the public domain in the US.1 There are plenty of articles online about what works are included this year. To name a few, there’s the first Nancy Drew novels, The Maltese Falcon, the first film adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front, and…
-
There are too many types of barcode
A few weeks ago, I embarked on another technology quest. This time, I wanted to digitize my library card, so I could get books using just my phone. I figured it would be simple – the card just used a barcode. All I would need was a picture of the correct barcode. At first, I…
-
Preserved Fish, Boss of New York City
New Yorkers love preserved fish – particularly on top of a bagel with a nice hearty schmear of cream cheese. My favorite preserved fish in New York City comes from Russ & Daughters, an icon of New York cuisine that’s been around since 1914. But this article isn’t about preserved fish of New York. It’s…
-
Judging Fractals
Recently, I made a most startling discovery: someone else has been judging geometric shapes, and falsely publishing under my name!1 I have been impersonated by a dastardly impostor! After getting over the initial shock, I realized that my impostor actually made a good decision on what class of shapes to judge: fractals. Fractals are shapes…
-
Looking back on Inkhaven
How can we measure thee, o Inkhaven? We had 41 residents, plus our staff and contributing writers. 30 days of posts, and not one person failed out. A million words of fresh thought now grace this grand internet of ours. Now, a week removed from the excitement, how does it feel looking back? For me…
-
Treating Factorio Withdrawal
I’ve learned a lot of lessons since college. One big one is that I have to treat Factorio like alcohol. It’s fun, great for hanging out with your friends, and don’t consume it during your lunch break or else you’re going to have a very awkward conversation with your boss. In case you haven’t read…
-
I collect Rubik’s cubes – and I can’t solve them

Since I was a kid, I’ve been building up a collection of Rubik’s cubes. This is not that special. Lots of people collect Rubik’s cubes. The difference is that I don’t actually know how to solve a Rubik’s cube. When I was younger, I definitely seemed like the kind of kid who would enjoy Rubik’s…
-
Inkhaven’s turn: The best empires 600 BCE – Present
What’s changed, what’s the same, and why. Here are Inkhaven’s changes to my empire list from yesterday. There weren’t that many changes, but they were interesting ones.
